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Some more insight on LocalPlanet (in case someone still cares)

Video subtitle: Lost in Translation

Localplanet in talks to expand in Middle East, Japan and China

Localplanet, the independent media agencies network, is currently in talks to add new affiliates in Middle East, Japan and China.
Plans were unveiled by Martyn Rattle, Global CEO of the network at the launch event of Localplanet in Spain, which was held in Madrid yesterday.

Gathering some of he leading independent media agencies in their respective domestic markets, Localplanet is currently operating through 40 agencies, some of them headquartered in South East Asia in countries like Malaysia and some others in Latin America including Cuba. Localplanet currently posts over $10Bn revenues and the agency members of the network employ 3,000 people. From the 40 agency members 31 of them are as well shareholders of the holding company Localplanet.

The network client roster inludes, among other international brands: Jack Wolfskin, Capital One, Nike, H&M, Pfizer, Viacom and Kayak.

Middle East, Japan, China and more to come

Rattle advanced that a new member is expected to join the network in the Middle East next month and thet new agency members where expected to join Localplanet in Japan and China in the second half of 2016.
Leaving aside Zertem Group in Spain, the CEO of Localplanet also told about the latest member that has joined the network, an independent media agency headquartered in the Valkans region.

A grouped network of truly independent media agencies, not a mere association of agencies

All the network members keep on being independent agencies. Some of them (currently 31 out of the total 40) are also shareholders of the holding company. Localplanet usually takes a share in the capital equity of the member, but not always, as there are also just affiliate agencies in some countries.

Localplanet is a registered brand. All the members can use both their own brand (usually when working for their domestic clients) or the Localplanet brand (usually when working for international clients).

The network has also generated a centralised structure with one CEO, Martyn Rattle, one Managing Director, Alex Lawton and a board where they have a representative the most important agency members. This is the case of Zertem in Spain, for example
Bill Koenigsberg, CEO and co-founder of Horizon Media, serves as the President of this new network.

There’s as well a 12 people team, composed by the heads of the main agencies partnering in the network. This team is devoted to business development and each of its members reports in a daily basis to Rattle.

Why Localplanet actually makes a difference

The advantage for the client resides, as explained Alex Lawton, in the fact that they receive the tailored service they deserve with a truly local approach to the media planning and buying. Another point is, said Lawton, transparency.

We use the big data of the clients in the server of the clients, never to combine those of various clients and then sell to third parties. Transparency at the time of sharing client’s big data resources , but also in the technological offer to the client. We are not developers, so we use the best tech available telling the client who is the developer-owner of the solution, explained Lawton.

Both Rattle and Lawton agreed in the fact that there are many clients that are not the biggest and need to do more with less. And those clients are not proritized by the biggest networks. Local planet is able to deliver them the tailored services they deserve, both underscored.

We have been developping our own relevant intenational tools along one year, said Rattle.
These methods would offer clients a truly local approach while the standard is the same at an international level.

As well as media planning and buying services Rattle pointed that Localplanet was able to deliver some creative services such as developing digital contents. “Among our memebers there rare some full service agencies,”…”but we are not going to film a TV spot”.

http://eastwind.es/marketing/en/localplanet-in-talks-to-expand-in-middle-east-japan-and-china/