It was announced yesterday that MediaCom USA has hired industry veteran Thomas Rocco as managing partner and group account director as the lead on the agency's iconic Subway account. He joins MediaCom from Omnicom, where he served as executive vice president of business development at Alcone Marketing. Prior to that, he has worked a president as CEO for Singer Direct (which eventually merged with Novus Media) and as managing director of sales for the Omnicom Media Group on accounts such as PepsiCo, Anheuser Busch, Wendy's, Coca-Cola, General Motors, Dish and Microsoft.
He joins MediaCom from Omnicom, where he served as executive vice president of business development at Alcone Marketing
Rocco also has experience on the client side of the industry. Before moving to the agency side, he led a 25% increase in revenue as president of CTN Media before it was sold to Viacom and re-branded at MTVU. He also worked at Discovery Networks, where he developed the direct response and paid programming division and was responsible for $200 million in revenue after just five years, as well as heading up the network's regional sales operation.
Sasha Savic, CEO of MediaCom USA, said that as an agency known for their content and connections, “It's vital that MediaCom's leaders are able to bridge the divide between art and science, helping clients build the most productive, consumer-friendly and seamless communications systems." She adds that Rocco is a perfect fit for the role as he has done this “Many times over” and brings with him to the agency “A diverse career marked by forward-thinking leadership and creative insight.” On the client side, Tony Pace, chief marketing officer of Subway, believes that Rocco possesses a great deal of experience on both sides of the industry, which will help them “Develop new media approaches and maximise traditional media to the benefit of the business and the brand." He looks forward to the “Real-time strategic contributions” Rocco will offer their business.
Tony Pace, chief marketing officer of Subway, believes that Rocco possesses a great deal of experience on both sides of the industry, which will help them “Develop new media approaches and maximise traditional media.”
MediaCom, which is a member of the WPP and its GroupM consolidated media investment management arm, is currently enjoying a period of significant growth, with recent additions to their client roster, including eBay and DSW and a raft of impressive new hires, including chief strategy officer Archana Kumar, chief digital and analytics officer Steve Carbone, head of innovation Mark Fortner and chief growth officer Khartoon Ohan. It is one of the world's leading communications specialists, employing nearly 6000 people in 122 offices across 97 countries with a client roster that also includes P&G, the VW Group, Dell and Universal.
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and musician from Kidderminster in the UK who once became so enamoured with his local Subway that they were starting to ask him if he wanted “The Usual?”
