Mindshare has opened its pocketbook to purchase media firm Michaelides & Bednash. The U.K. shop will be folded ever so neatly in with the Invention Group and the founders (George Michaelides, Graham Bednash [pictured above], along with managing partner Paul O’Neill) will be heading up the newly formed Unilever unit. Makes sense. In 2003, Unilever tapped M&B to handle communications with a $30 million budget, for Family Brands.
So, Ad Age says that Michaelides and Bednash are widely regarded as fathers of media planning. Really? We polled a few media planner friends who had never heard of the company. A few others had heard of M&B, but balked at the founding father role.
Arguably, M&B was at the forefront of a planning revolution in the U.K. that includes shops like Naked. The agency was all about not media buying, but implementing strategy as part of the creative process. This might be one of those UK versus US things. Making a splash in Britain doesn’t guarantee a direct ripple in The States.
More: Digital UK Vs Digital US