Why would a media agency name a chief media officer?
In the case of Dentsu’s Carat U.S., which has appointed Diana Bojaj its first chief media officer, it's a means to oversee and foster collaboration among the shop's strategy, innovation, planning, and content departments. Bojaj, who joined Carat in 2019 and was most recently head of business strategy on the shop's General Motors business, will report in her new post directly to Mike Law, who was promoted to CEO at the end of last year.
The appointment comes as media is in the throes of upheaval, with new forms of innovation such as streaming and Web3 fueling the need to simplify, streamline and automate the basics of those four areas, Law said. As the future of a media plan continues to extend beyond the reach and frequency of more traditional commercials to consumer experiences, attention and digital activations, having each of these four teams working closely together has become essential for ensuring a media agency can deliver on the basics while also planning for the future.
Those who will report to Bojaj include Joanna Hawkes, head of strategy; Michael Liu, head of innovation; and Kerry Doyle, head of content. Planning does not currently have an executive lead.
Law said this is the first time the agency has united all four disciplines under a single leader, with the intention of providing a more holistic media solution for clients. “The value of this is really bringing the disciplines together to enhance connectivity,” Bojaj said. “And also to make sure that there's kind of that seamless integration throughout the product. So we'll have connectivity through the product and we'll be pulling each of those individual disciplines through it.”
Stephanie Russell, chief client officer at Carat, said the reorganization should allow for "great organic growth in terms of just better being able to service our clients."
U.S. CEO Law joined the agency in 2000 and most recently served as the U.S. president of Amplifi, Dentsu’s media innovation and investment arm. The Japanese holding company also elevated Cara Lewis to chief investment officer of Dentsu Media after serving as executive VP of U.S. media investments for Dentsu’s media agencies.
Carat is media agency of record for brands such as Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, General Motors and Pfizer, the last of which it has worked with for almost 25 years. In July, the agency helped launch Subway’s “Eat Fresh Refresh” effort and Charmin’s “Deuce Destroyer” campaign.
Carat and sibling agency McGarryBowen will release new work for Subway in the weeks ahead.
