Channel 4 Appoints First Media Planning Head
Channel 4 has announced the appointment of Greg Smith as its new head of media planning, a position created earlier this year to oversee the deployment of promotional airtime across the Channel 4, E4 and Film Four.
The new role will see Smith, a senior marketer with a background in brand development, report directly to Channel 4’s director of marketing, Polly Cochrane. He will work to improve cross-promotional activities across Channel 4’s range of commercial operations, including the soon to be launched More 4.
With previous experience at marketing consultancy Branded Ltd, and as a strategic communications planner at Zenith Media, Smith will head a staff of 14 across Channel 4, E4 and Film Four. He will also oversee the managing editor of presentation planning, the media strategy manager, Film Four’s presentation editor and E4’s presentation editor.
Commenting on the appointment, Polly Cochrane, said: “I am delighted to welcome Greg to the Channel. Our on air promotional inventory is obviously an extremely valuable asset but with the expansion of the Channel 4 network, prioritisation of messages is an increasingly complex art.
She added: “Competitive pressures also make enhancing the quality and distinctiveness of our junctions in order to hold viewers across breaks, more important than ever. This role has been created in recognition of this and I’m confident that Greg’s particular mix of expertise makes him ideally suited to meet the challenge ahead”
Smith will begin his new role on 2 August, taking the position created by Channel 4 in response to pressure from the growth of 4 Ventures to promote its programmes through increasingly high-demand airtime (see Channel 4 Creates Senior Media Planning Role).
Last year Channel 4 appointed Kevin Henry as commercial projects manager within its client and strategic sales team as part of ongoing attempts to increase cross-platform offerings to advertisers. The role saw Henry assume responsibility for developing an integrated sales approach across Channel 4’s commercial departments and its 4 Ventures division (see Channel 4 Appoints Henry To Cross Platform Sales Division).
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