Cheil rolls out Samsung growth model to global clients

Cheil Worldwide is pooling the resources of its global network of agencies for a new proposition which has been used by long-term client – and parent company – Samsung to deliver major growth, as part of plans to offer other clients a seamless service across time zones and disciplines.

Cheil Connec+ brings together CRM, data, strategy, creativity, innovation, technology, retail, pricing, and performance marketing through linking agencies Iris, Cheil, Barbarian, BMB and McKinney.

While most marketing groups offer an integrated approach across their networks, Cheil claims that by linking its 53 offices and more than 6,500 staff worldwide, and will be able to offer bespoke cross-discipline teams focused on delivering “high-performing, innovative solutions”.

The agency claims the strategy has driven a fourfold increase in brand value for Samsung over the past decade, reaching the number 5 position worldwide, although exact details about how this has been achieved are thin on the ground.

Ultimately, Cheil says the venture has been designed “to create transformational impact for ambitious brands and businesses who are at a point of birth or rebirth”.

Ian Millner, who co-founded Iris in 1999 before selling a major stake to Cheil in 2014, will be CEO of Cheil Connec+ as well as continuing in his role at chairman of Iris Worldwide. Jill Smith will be global CMO and Jo Holliday global marketing director.

Millner commented: “We have grown up as a collective of agency talent, all of whom thrive on the intensity of working with ambitious and competitive clients. As more clients seek immediate impact and higher levels of performance from their agency partners, we have created a way for clients to work with us seamlessly and to unlock their performance headroom.

“Cheil Connec+ offers a more agile and focused approach to collaboration, intentionally eradicating legacy siloes, structures and baggage. Change has changed, and agency networks need to get ahead and seek to become a mission critical multiple for client businesses.”