In a move to further enhance the agency's digital strategy and search resources, MEC China www.mecglobal.com today announced three major appointments in its Interaction team.

Paul Yan joined as National Head of Search, and James Graver and Ivy Au joined as Digital Strategists.

All three will report to Karen Ho, Head of Interaction, MEC China. “MEC’s strategic approach, its focus on digital and its access to analytics and data are what makes us stand out from the competition," said Karen Ho. “I am thrilled to have these three highly experienced specialists join the team. We will work together to strengthen the existing strategy and direction for MEC Interaction, and to build on our current success to create even better results for our clients in the future.”

Paul Yan, as National Head of Search, MEC China, will be responsible for the development and improvement of MEC’s search business in China. Paul has 14 years’ experience in China’s Internet industry with focus on e-commerce in the last four years. Focusing on leading the integrated planning process across paid, owned and earned channels, James and Ivy will be responsible for activating and accelerating MEC’s digital offering across key clients, with a particular focus on improving strategic thinking and creative processes.

James joins MEC China after one year with MEC UK, serving as Digital Strategy Director. Prior to that, he had been with UM UK for five years focusing on digital and creative.

Ivy has nine years of experience in digital planning and buying in Sydney, Shanghai and Hong Kong for OMD and PHD.

Christian Guinot, President, MEC China commented, “At MEC, we have evolved our approach to ensure that digital is fully integrated throughout all areas of our business and runs through the veins of the work we deliver our clients. These appointments reflect the critical importance of digital expertise to our business. We are extremely pleased that Paul, James and Ivy have joined us at this exciting time of change for MEC across China.”

Paul and Ivy are based in Shanghai and James is based in Beijing.

MEC India has been awarded the media duties for Dixcy Scott, the nationally renowned innerwear brand.

The company markets premium innerwear under the brand names Dixcy and Dixcy Scott. Bollywood A-lister Salman Khan endorses Dixcy Scott.

MEC won the business after a closely contested multi-agency pitch and will handle the account from their Bangalore office.

Speaking on the development, Raghul Sikka, Director of Dixcy Scott said, “We have very aggressive plans for the coming year and we wanted a like-minded partner on board. It was a tough fight between equally competent agencies. We believe we have found that partner in MEC. We look forward to working with MEC.”

Ganesh Sharma, who heads the advertising and promotion at Dixcy Scott added, “Being a low involvement category, our media product needs depth coupled with an innovative approach to reach our target audience, which will eventually deliver the desired results for us.”

Commenting on the win, T Gangadhar, Managing Director, MEC India said, “Dixcy Scott is a key player in the Indian innerwear market and we are delighted to have them on board. We look forward to a mutually rewarding association.”

MEC is a leading global network and a founding partner of Group M, and operates in 84 countries. In India, MEC has a wide repertoire of blue-chip clients that includes Colgate Palmolive, Britannia, Reliance Industries, LG, Honda, FlipKart, Citibank, NIVEA, Zee Network, CavinKare, DHL, Jaypee Group and Accenture.

MEC announced the findings of their IPL TV Rating Estimation Study.

Now in its fifth edition, the study has come to be the definitive barometer to gauge expectations around the blockbuster event. A combination of primary research and high-end analytics, the study has achieved 100% accuracy in the past, including last year. The research was conducted in Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Pune, Chandigarh and Ahmedabad. As in previous years, the study has been carried out in association with Meritus, WPP’s analytics company.

Key findings of the study were:

• Average TV rating for the league stage is expected to go up from 3.8 last year to 3.9 – an increase of 2.6% (15+ years, Male/Female, SEC ABC

• MI (4.5), KKR (4.2) and CSK (4.1) games to have the highest ratings
• Home team (84%), favorite team (79%) and Indian stars (64%) continue to be deciding factors to watch a match. Time of the match (49%) is also gaining importance.
• MI (23%), Chennai (19%) and KKR (14%) are the most popular teams. Support for Hyderabad has gone up by 200% (2% to 6%), Bangalore has dropped by 50% (12% to 8%)
• Sachin Tendulkar (80), MS Dhoni (79), Yuvraj Singh (76), Virat Kohli (74) and Virender Sehwag (73) are the most popular Indian players in the League; Chris Gayle (60), Ricky Ponting (55), Brett Lee (51) and Kevin Pietersen (50) are most popular foreign players

Said T Gangadhar, Managing Director, MEC India, “Our study suggests that the IPL has matured as a property. The study clearly establishes that ratings in the first phase (first 18 games) impacts the fate of the entire league. With Pepsi activating their title sponsorship in a big way, the BCCI launching the IPL Fantasy League and India’s strong performance against Australia, the first stage of the league could get further momentum.

We expect the IPL Fantasy League to become a key part of the live broadcast experience and as a result, social chatter around IPL could grow significantly”, Gangadhar added.

Sunder Muthuraman, Managing Partner, Meritus Analytics, also believes that the IPL brand is reflecting the behaviour of a typical mature consumer product. “Our proprietary survey, that is integral to the forecast, shows that there is a segment of audience who will watch more than last year (say, the loyalists) and another segment who will watch lesser (say, the rejecters). Given that the former segment is larger than the latter, the ratings are likely to be marginally higher than in 2012. Given our past successes, we hope our pioneering rating forecast methodology will be adopted by all broadcasters and advertisers”, Sunder concluded.

MEC in Singapore, a leading global media agency, was named the Overall Agency Winner with the ‘Best of Show’ award at the Mob-Ex Awards ceremony held in Singapore.

In addition, the agency won a further nine awards including:

Gold

Best Use of QR Codes for Mercedes-Benz 125! Race

Best Original Content for Mercedes-Benz 125! Race

Most Innovative use of Mobile for Mercedes-Benz 125! Race

Silver

Most Creative App for Mercedes-Benz 125! Race

Best Viral Marketing for Mercedes-Benz 125! Race

Best App/Content for a Consumer Brand for Mercedes-Benz 125! Race

Bronze

Best Direct Response Campaign for Modern Family - SingTel mioTV

Best Mobile Advertising Solution for Modern Family - SingTel mioTV

Best Use of Multiple Mobile Channels for Modern Family - SingTel mioTV

The Mob-Ex Awards recognises Singapore’s leading contributors of mobile excellence and honours organisations that have pushed the limits in the mobile marketing ecosystem.

MEC, a leading media agency, today announced the appointment of Matt Semple as Regional Client Director.

Matt will be responsible for leading and developing MEC’s international clients based from Hong Kong. His role also will also include strategic planning leadership and business development aspects for the region. He will report to Stephen Li, CEO Asia Pacific.

Stephen Li commented: “We’re committed to investing in our talent and Matt is an excellent example of the strategic firepower that we’re attracting to MEC. Matt’s extensive experience in client management and business development both in Asia and internationally will be of tremendous benefit to our clients and our teams. With him on board I’m confident that we will continue to delight our clients and drive growth for them.”

“Asia Pacific is a diverse and exciting region and one that I love. I am delighted to be joining MEC, one of the most creative and inspiring agencies in the business, with a great roster of international and regional clients. I’m looking forward to applying my skills and knowledge, exploring innovative communication solutions for them.” said Matt Semple.

Matt has more than 12 years’ experience working with some of the world’s most recognizable brands including, L’Oreal, Aviva, Activision, Southern Comfort Hewlett Packard, Iberia and COI. He brings a sharp focus on building deeper and meaningful relationship with clients, to drive thought leadership, creativity and strategic development. Matt joins from ZenithOptimedia in Paris where he was International ROI Director responsible for the business leadership on Sanofi Healthcare. Prior to this Matt was based in Singapore where he spent six years as Regional Development Director, Before joining ZenithOptimedia, Matt was an Associate Director for Starcom MediaVest.