AD Agencies
GroupM’s new suite [m]Platform to make media planning flexible
MUMBAI: GroupM has launched an advanced technology suite of flexible media planning applications, data analytics and digital services titled [m]Platform. The platform will improve advertisers’ ability to use audience-defining insights from hundreds of data sources to find and communicate with their consumers across all media.
Brian Gleason, most recently the global CEO of Xaxis, has been named the CEO of [m]Platform. He will lead the continuous development of market-leading technology to ingest any data important to identifying a client’s audiences and applications that efficiently engage them on any platform.
The connected platform ensures insights carry through the whole communications process: “Marketers are under tremendous pressure to deliver results from media investments. This flexible Platform approach enables us to focus US$7 billion worth of investments we’ve made in data and technology over 10 years to help them realize a marketplace advantage,” said GroupM Global CEO Kelly Clark. “Our agencies will now have deeper consumer insights and the most robust technology in the market.”
[m]Platform makes it possible for media planners at GroupM agencies to use the most detailed consumer data to achieve results for their clients. It is supported by a team of data scientists, technologists and digital practitioners from across GroupM specialist companies and Xaxis. [m]Platform unifies data analytics and digital services including search, social, mobile, digital ad operations and programmatic into one team delivering a completely open and fully transparent data and technology architecture.
[m]Platform connects wide-ranging WPP data sources across Kantar and Wunderman; third-party data providers; GroupM’s data from unique agreements with global media partners; and clients’ own data when they choose. This allows the creation of the most complete consumer profiles within a brand’s target audience, including rich demographics, technology usage, behavioral insights, purchase history, location data and more (varies by region according to local regulations).
[m]Core is the first full-stack audience intelligence Platform combining cross-Platform data (display, mobile, video, offline CRM, apps, etc.) for a singular consumer identifier, [m]ID.[m]Insights is the largest audience-centric media planning tool with cross-channel planning, creative workflow management, unified audience frequency capping and location-based and in- demo reach[m]Analytics marries online and offline campaign-level data to[m]ID to enable analytics, attribution and optimization[m]Report merges data into a single, intuitive visualization dashboard with actionable.
GroupM is building a global organization to support [m]Platform. Four regional presidents will report to Gleason. Recently named the president of Platform Services in North America, Phil Cowdell, is now the president of [m]Platform, North America. Lucas Mentasti has been named the president, [m]Platform, LATAM. Presidents in EMEA and APAC will be named shortly. Also on the [m]Platform global leadership team is COO Nicolle Pangis, chief strategy officer Jack Smith, and CTO Bob Hammond.
Pan-regional collaboration will ensure consistent information and experience to global clients, but with the bespoke strategic point of view of their selected GroupM agency.
AD Agencies
Publicis Brazil’s creative chief Mauro Ramalho lands the jury chair at Abby Awards 2026
Mauro Ramalho brings 25 years of global advertising firepower to the new creative commerce, use of data and B2B category at Goafest
GOA: The Abby Awards 2026, powered by The One Club and The One Show, has appointed Mauro Ramalho, chief creative officer of Publicis Brazil, as jury chair for its newly launched creative commerce, use of data and B2B category. The announcement, made on 18 March, signals the awards’ intent to bring serious international muscle to a category that sits squarely at the intersection of creativity and commercial performance.
Ramalho is not a name that needs much introduction in global advertising circles. Over 25 years spanning three countries, he has worked at some of the industry’s most creatively restless addresses. At AKQA in San Francisco, he worked across McDonald’s, Nike, Fox, Target, Kraft Foods and GAP, and helped lead “The Lost Ring” for McDonald’s, one of the first alternate reality campaigns and among the most awarded projects of its era. He later moved to Organic in Toronto, bridging the Detroit and Toronto offices on Dodge, Jeep and Chrysler, before spending over a decade building CUBOCC into one of Brazil’s most iconic and innovative independent agencies, which subsequently joined the IPG network.
A stint at FCB followed, where Ramalho led integrated work bridging online and offline, before he joined R/GA São Paulo as vice-president and executive creative director, stitching together the São Paulo office with New York, London, Portland and California on global clients including Verizon, Google, Meta, Samsung, American Express and Heineken. He now heads Publicis Brazil as its chief creative officer.
His trophy cabinet includes Clios, Effies, TikTok awards and MMA Smarties, and he has served on juries at the Andys, TikTok and the Lisbon Awards.
The Abby Awards 2026 is scheduled to take place at Goafest 2026 on 20, 21 and 22 May in Goa.
For Indian advertising, landing a jury chair of Ramalho’s calibre for a category built around data-driven creativity and commerce is a statement of ambition. Goafest just raised its own bar.
