Merkle creates top job to bring media and CXM closer

Dentsu-owned data-driven marketing agency Merkle has created the new role of managing director of its media practice, as part of plans to drive greater collaboration between the media and customer experience marketing services networks.

Toby Benjamin, who joined Merkle in 2018 to launch and lead its tech consultancy practice, takes up the post with immediate effect.

Initially appointed in to support the onboarding of the Nestlé’s global SEO project, Benjamin has since helped to strengthen Merkle’s Google partnership and built out its consultancy offering, winning new brands including Disney, Deliveroo, PayPal and Hilton.

In this new role, he is responsible for leading and growing Merkle’s media business, comprising PPC, paid social and programmatic.

Reporting to both Merkle UK chief executive Anne Stagg, who also leads Dentsu’s CXM network, and Hamish Nicklin, chief executive of Dentsu’s media network, home to Carat, iPro and Dentsu X, he will also be responsible for driving ongoing collaboration between both networks.

The aim is to enable clients to seamlessly access media and CXM services and deliver a “total customer experience” across every interaction a consumer has with a brand.

Merkle’s media strategy team will report to both Benjamin and Niyi Duro-Emanuel, Merkle’s UK head of strategy and transformation. This is designed to provide clients with strategic consultancy to progress their transformation programmes and accelerate further business growth.

Benjamin’s second focus area will be to drive expansion of Merkle’s media clients into CXM services, including the analytics and CX practice areas, supporting clients on customer experience transformation across media, data and digital transformation and analytics. This follows an increase in Merkle’s media clients moving into CXM and is now a high growth area for the business.

Anne Stagg said: “Since joining Merkle as one of the first senior leadership hires for the agency service business, Toby has made an incredible contribution delivering over £4m in incremental revenue within the last year. His wealth of experience and proven track record makes him the perfect fit to lead our media practice and drive collaboration between Dentsu’s media and CXM service lines, something we are really excited about.”

Benjamin added: “It’s an incredibly exciting time to be leading Merkle’s expanding media practice after such a standout year for the business. The team have done a fantastic job in getting us where we are today, and I look forward to further strengthening the collaboration between both media and CXM services where we are seeing huge growth and helping clients with their ongoing customer experience transformation journeys.”