Andrea Samuel, Jess Torstensson and Ori Gold. Credit: Bench Media
Independent media agency Bench Media has appointed growth strategist Andrea Samuel strategy lead.
Samuel will lead Bench's strategy offering, working with clients to connect business objectives with customer understanding, market and competitive insights, and media strategy.
Client growth director Jessica Torstensson said clients increasingly wanted partners who understood the business context behind their marketing investment.
"Andrea brings an exceptional ability to connect business strategy, customer experience and media in a way that's both data-first and commercially focused,” Torstensson said.
“Her experience strengthens how we partner with clients from the earliest stages of strategic thinking through to execution and measurement, ensuring every recommendation is outcome driven.”
Samuel has more than 20 years' experience in business, brand and marketing strategy across Australia and Asia-Pacific, working with brands including Samsung, L'Oréal, Ferrero, Abbott, Mondelēz, LVMH and Citi.
Her work has won multiple industry awards, including Cannes recognition and an Effie for the inaugural Samsung Galaxy Camera campaign.
Bench Media chief executive and co-founder Ori Gold said the appointment reflected the agency's investment in helping clients navigate a complex marketing landscape.
"Bench has never seen its role as simply planning and buying media for clients,” Gold said.
“The best outcomes come from understanding a client's business challenge, developing a deep understanding of customers, the market and the competitive landscape, and then making smarter media investment decisions.
"Andrea brings exactly that mindset to the table. She'll help us ask better questions, identify new opportunities and deliver even stronger commercial outcomes for our clients.”
Samuel said she was joining Bench as marketers faced growing pressure to deliver commercial outcomes in a fast-changing environment.
"Today's marketers are navigating rapid advances in technology, changing customer expectations and growing pressure to demonstrate market impact,” she said.
"What attracted me to Bench was its genuinely strategic approach and its ambition to help clients solve business challenges, not just marketing ones.
“The team has built a strong reputation for combining independent thinking with measurable outcomes, and I'm excited to help further strengthen that proposition.”
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.