This story was updated Sept. 9 @ 12:10
Proximity president Adrian Capobianco is leaving the agency following a restructuring announced today by BBDO Canada. His departure from the Omnicom shop comes just seven months after he took over as president.
“In the short time I was there I was proud of what we were able to accomplish: the financials and the fundamentals were in the best shape they’ve been in years, we were attracting top notch talent and employee satisfaction was high, we’re lining up awards world wide and client business was following,” Capobianco told Marketing. “There’s a lot of great folks [at Proximity] and I wish them all the best.”
The restructuring will see BBDO absorb Proximity’s digital capabilities, a move it said would allow the latter to focus solely on data-intensive CRM and what it described as “digital platform expertise.” Rosie Gentile, who joined Proximity in 2013 and was most recently the agency’s vice-president of integrated strategy and insights will lead the CRM-focused discipline . Dom Caruso will continue to lead BBDO Canada as president and CEO.
Chris Thomas, CEO of BBDO the Americas and chairman of Proximity, said with digital increasingly permeating all aspects of marketing, there is no longer a requirement for distinct digital entities. “All of our agencies are digital, whether BBDO or Proximity,” he said, in a release.
The new structure, said Thomas, would enable Proximity to focus “single-mindedly” on its ability to handle data-intensive assignments in the CRM space, while BBDO will be better suited to focus on clients’ integrated marketing requirements.
Caruso said the restructuring is a response to clients’ desire for a single team capable of handling all their marketing needs. “This integration of our digital campaign capabilities brings a simplified approach and forms a creative powerhouse to best deliver for our clients,” he said, in a release.
“As we deliver a wide range of digital content to clients across disciplines, this meets a real client need for seamless integration across campaigns, as well as enhanced specialization in data and CRM.”
Capobianco joined Proximity in February after spending the previous two years as general manager of digital at Cundari. The digital marketing veteran founded the customer experience agency Quizative in 2008 (it was acquired by Cundari in 2013), and also held roles as VP of interactive marketing at Fuse and VP, client services at Publicis.
Gentile has more than 20 years of experience in integrated, direct and digital marketing, with a resume that includes stops at Henderson Bas (now part of MDC Partners’ KBS), Cossette and FCB Direct. She has also worked client side with companies including Visa and Bank of Montreal.
