With CEO Alex Panousis describing their first meeting as a “hire at first sight” moment, Starcom Canada has named former Cossette Media executive Mike Rumble as its chief strategy officer. He will join the agency on Sept. 7.
Rumble will lead an integrated team of “cross-functional experts” spanning Publicis’ Sapient Nitro and Performics units to provide expertise in digital, data and performance management. The new team will be dedicated to what the agency described only as its “largest financial services account,” believed to be TD Bank Group.
While neither Panousis nor TD would confirm, sources told Marketing this week that Starcom had successfully defended the account it has held since 2009 in a competitive review.
Natasha Ferrari, manager of corporate and public affairs for TD Bank Group in Toronto, confirmed via email that the company was conducting a closed review of its media agency services, but said details were “being kept confidential until a selection has been made.”
Panousis described Rumble as a “rock star” who “gets where media is going,” though she joked that the agency’s new hire almost never happened when Rumble failed to receive a message she left for him early in the search process.
“I ran into him at a cocktail party and said to him ‘I can’t believe you never called me back’ and he said ‘What are you talking about?’” said Panousis. “As soon as I re-connected with him he was absolutely the only person I wanted.”
Panousis said she was “very specific” in her hiring criteria, seeking someone who would fit into the Starcom culture while being a “real leader” for the agency. “We had a short list of people, and Mike was just a standout,” she said.
She said the new inter-disciplinary team offered “all that Publicis Groupe brings to the table.” The approach is a first in Canada, she said, though it has been adopted in other markets.
Panousis said Starcom created the team in response to clients’ emerging and shifting media requirements as consumers’ relationship with their various service providers continues to change.
“Data allows us to see more and do more than we ever did before,” she said. “It’s no longer ‘We think’ it’s now ‘We know’ and because of that we need different skill sets. Bringing teams of experts together to service [accounts] in new and different ways gives us an advantage.”
Panousis said it was unclear how many people would comprise the agency’s new inter-disciplinary team, but she and Rumble would be “co-contributors” in assembling its personnel. Development of the team is currently “in progress” she said.
Rumble was most recently chief strategy officer at Cossette, responsible for driving media strategy across all lines of the agency’s flagship Telus account. His career also includes stints with Taxi, Media Experts, M2 Universal and OMD.
“He gets data, but also understands how to make it human and infuse it with creativity,” said Panousis. “Having data without humanity doesn’t make sense; you need to figure out a way to connect it to people and make it something that will deliver more impact. His ability to take a deep understanding of the consumer and layer analytics onto it and do it in a creative way makes him a powerhouse.”
Rumble is replacing Christine Wilson, who is moving into a new role as senior vice-president, media director, overseeing “several other pieces of business” for the agency.
