Mark Cranmer, chief executive of Isobar, uses lyrics from Oasis’ classic (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? to analyse and solve the issues facing the media industry…
Mark Cranmer
Mark is 56 years old and started working in the advertising business in the 1970s. He has spent his entire career in the marketing services industry, enjoying senior global management roles in advertising, media, marketing research and digital service agencies. He has always been attracted to the creative nature of the service sector and remains motivated by the challenge of shaping and re-defining fresh business propositions.
He has extensive experience in building international agency networks involving start-ups, mergers and acquisitions. Mark has held senior international leadership roles in Publicis, WPP and Dentsu Aegis Network global Groups.
Mark left his last full time role at the end of June 2014. He had served five years in the Dentsu Aegis Network as a member of their global executive management team in the role of Global Chairman and CEO of Isobar. During these five years Mark restructured the disparate Isobar division into three coherently branded and complementary global business propositions : Amnet ( programmatic buying ), iProspect ( search & performance marketing ), and Isobar ( originating creative content ). The networks are now operating in over 40 countries, encompassing over 5,000 people.
Prior to Mark's Isobar role he spent 18 months as Global CEO of WPP's market research agency, Research International. In hindsight he's not quite sure why.
Before his WPP adventure Mark spent 13 years involved with the development of the Bartle Bogle Hegarty agency group ( 1993 - 2006 ). Joining as member of BBH's management team these years saw the agency start its international expansion and the formation of its media agency ( Motive ), which Mark led. BBH's strategic direction led to corporate development with the Leo Burnett Group and the merger of Motive into Starcom, where Mark became a founding global member of the Starcom media network. Further corporate development led to a full sale to Publicis Group and Mark's role as EMEA CEO of Starcom Mediavest Group and serving as a director of Publicis Groupe Media Worldwide until mid 2006.
Prior to the ' BBH years ' Mark enjoyed varied media and general management roles at advertising agencies including; JWT, Bates, BBDO, CDP as well as spending eight formative years at the Lowe Howard Spink agency from 1982.