IPG Mediabrands has named Simone Blakers as managing director of the group’s social marketing agency Society. Blakers joins from Rapp Sydney, where she was managing director.
Blakers, who starts this week, will lead a team of 40 social marketing experts in Sydney and Melbourne. She fills a leadership void at the agency since last MD Nicola Swankie left in July.
Prior to her role at Rapp, Blakers was managing director of Mark, M&C Saatchi’s digital agency, and has also worked at George Patterson Y&R and Euro RSCG KLP.
“We were attracted to Simone because she is a highly successful and experienced agency leader with strong strategic, creative and data-driven credentials,” IPG Mediabrand group commercial director Dan Johns says.
During a 20-year digital marketing career in Australia and Europe, Blakers has worked with blue chip clients, including Westpac, McDonald’s, Google, Telstra, Optus, Woolworths, Microsoft, News Limited, Volkswagen, Qantas and Nestle.
Her achievements include managing American Express’ global best practice centre of excellence and launching the world’s first Microsoft Windows Smartphone across the EMEA region.
She also led Mark to become a global top 10 direct agency, delivering acclaimed projects for Google such as Build with Chrome.
Blakers says she is joining Society at a time when social marketing is "coming of age".
“The industry has evolved to move beyond organic engagement, providing huge opportunities to not only achieve great reach and performance but also effectively utilise rich data insights for creative storytelling,” she says.
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.