Cheil North America has merged five of its independently operated agencies to form the Cheil Agency Network (CAN), with a new model aimed at serving mid-market brands. The Cheil Agency Network has offices across the US and Canada – McKinney (creative), Iris (creative), Attention Arc (media), CYLNDR Studios (production) and Barbarian (digital & tech) – with Joe Maglio CEO, CEO of McKinney and Barbarian, promoted to the new network’s CEO.
The network aims to sit between large holding companies set up to service only the biggest clients and boutique agencies that lack capabilities at scale. Each agency will retain its independent identity, ethos, culture and specialty, while also sharing certain resources, intel and R&D. Clients can work with one agency individually, several network agencies simultaneously or best-of-the-best team made up of talent from across the network specifically for them.
The leaders of each agency will report directly to Joe Maglio, who will be accountable for the performance of each agency as well as bringing the right combination of each agency’s specialties together to provide the best solution for clients. The Cheil Agency Network will have its own staff of subject-matter experts who provide resources and support rather than command and control as in holding companies. The team includes Tim Jones, chief financial officer, Sue Roche, chief people officer, Bill Mattis, managing director, head of network growth and Lisa Hughes, head of network operations.
“The Cheil Agency Network is the goldilocks of agency groups,” CEO Joe Maglio stated. “We’re able to offer the intelligence and cross-discipline coordination of a holding company while still bringing clients the energy, flexibility and high level of attention and client service that make independent agencies shine. As the advertising industry is going through a period of tremendous structural disruption between holding company M&A and PE investments, this new network model allows us to seamlessly collaborate and deftly adapt so we’re poised to deliver outsized results for brands that want to grow.”
The network has 10 offices, 750 employees and over 100 clients. Key clients include Little Caesars, Popeyes, Bentley, Samsung and Citizen Watch.
