Omnicom signs deal with 'shoppertainment' start-up

Omnicom, whose agencies include Rapp, TBWA, DDB and OMD, has struck a deal which will enable its clients to embrace shoppable livestreaming video on their ecommerce websites.

The deal, with “shoppertainment” start-up Firework, is said to be the first time an agency holding company has formed a strategic partnership with livestream commerce and shoppable video platform.

The brainchild of co-founders Vincent Yang and Jerry Luk, Firework officially launched in 2017 and now claims to reach over 250 million people globally who consume of short-videos across hundreds of categories. Firework’s clients include Unilever, Google, and EasyJet, as well as publishers Bloomberg and Reuters.

Under the terms of the partnership, Omnicom will also have first look access to Firework’s beta products and research.

Omnicom claims the agreement “opens up a wide lead for Omnicom clients”, giving them technology that makes their websites and other owned destinations more shoppable, and helps them to deliver “more personalised and relevant experiences that build stickiness”.

The group maintains the deal backs its mandate to build and innovate at the group level, driving Omnicom’s ecommerce offering across media, commerce and precision marketing.

Omnicom Media Group North America managing director of commerce John Schorr said: “Brands today are in a race with the market to build the best commerce value proposition, while at the same time racing against the clock to build direct relationships with customers that will not simply replace cookies, but actually be more effective.”

Firework CEO Vincent Yang added: “As brands deal with concurrent seismic shifts in how they reach and engage with consumers, and how consumers buy their products, Omnicom and Firework will bring the full force of our combined strategic and technological expertise to turn these market wide challenges into category wide opportunities for Omnicom clients.”