ID Media Taps Ex-Starcom MediaVest Group VP Ken Cervantes as VP, Account Director

NEW YORK, Oct. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- ID Media, the nation's largest direct and digital media agency, today announced that it has hired ex-SMG veteran Ken Cervantes as VP, Account Director.

Based in New York, he will work closely with Josh Martin, SVP, Director of Client Services, to develop integrated media solutions for Johnson & Johnson, one of the agency's largest and founding clients.

A 16-year industry professional, Cervantes brings a deep background in media planning and buying. At Starcom MediaVest Group, where he was most recently VP, Group Media Director, Cervantes oversaw the launch of 360-degree media campaigns for companies including Wal-Mart, Coca-Cola and Kraft. Many of these strategies involved identifying media synergies and innovations that would yield new ways for marketers to engage with consumers.

The approach, he says, is important as "consumers' media habits are changing, and we need to be able to break through and engage with them in deeper and more meaningful ways." As such, he sought an opportunity where he could kick this up a notch. And ID Media, an Interpublic Group (NYSE:IPG) agency known for its engagement and optimization prowess, emerged as a logical choice.

"With its roots in direct response, ID Media knows a lot about both content and context," he says. "ID offers an approach that satisfies what both consumers and marketers need."

Founded in 2002, ID Media makes media more accountable by driving costs down and engagement up. Marketers such as American Express, Verizon, Nationwide and LivingSocial.com have tapped the IPG agency for its dual-pronged ROI strategy.

And accountability, indeed, is what large corporate marketers responsible for multiple brands want most.  It's also what Cervantes does best. At MediaVest, he was part of the KraftOne launch to create "ONE" Kraft team that covered all disciplines. In doing so, he worked hand-in-hand with team members to bring together the most complete, multimedia plans to deliver the greatest accountability for Kraft's brands.

Lynn Fantom, CEO of ID Media, says Ken's skill set is exactly what the agency was looking for in a leadership role for the Johnson & Johnson team.  "Ken has impeccable credentials to work with a large, complex, marketing-driven company that is looking for integration and accountability." Cervantes, for his part, says he was just "blown away by ID Media's culture, and the fact that it puts people first."

Adds Cervantes: "There's a real opportunity going forward to educate our agency partners and clients on the future of accountable media, and I'm looking forward to how we can incorporate it as part of a larger, holistic media plan to positively impact their business."

A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Cervantes majored in marketing and got his start as a media associate at Leo Burnett in Chicago. He rose to various roles at the Publicis Groupe-owned company, including media supervisor and assistant media director while working on brands like McDonald's, Oldsmobile and ComEd.

About ID Media

ID Media is the nation's largest direct and digital media agency, known for identifying and delivering accountable media solutions that create better business outcomes for marketers. Backed by a culture that's deeply committed to results, our people drive costs down, engagement up across television, digital and promotional print channels. Companies including American Express, Nationwide, Verizon, Johnson & Johnson, LivingSocial.com, Intuit, Match.com and Nikon turn to ID Media for its no-silos, real-time, tech-oriented approach. A member of the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG), ID Media is a four-time winner of IPG awards for diversity and inclusion. The company also has been recognized by Crain's as one of its "Best Places To Work In NYC" in 2008, 2009 and 2010. For more information, visit www.idmediaww.com.

SOURCE ID Media