Toronto agency Fuse Create has hired Luke Moore as vice-president, managing director of media as it focuses on further bolstering its integrated offering. The goal, said Fuse Create CEO Stephen Brown, is to make media a “thriving, sustainable addition to our business.”
Moore’s expertise in both traditional and digital media, acquired through stints with agencies including the former M2 Universal, MacLaren McCann and, most recently, Cundari, was a key factor in his hire, said Brown. “He has incredible depth of experience in media, and has a very good reputation in the industry that fits with our model of being entrepreneurial and a people and values-based agency,” he said.
The media function has undergone a profound shift in recent years, with the explosion of data-driven targeting and programmatic buying systems. More clients have brought parts of their buying it in-house to capitalize on the wealth of first-party data at their disposal, while creative agencies (such as No Fixed Address) have recently expanded their strategic media services.
“Media used to be at the table, then it got parcelled off, and now the trend is that [media experts] have to be working with creatives,” said Brown. “It helps round out your offering to have media sitting in the same space as the creatives and strategists.”
Moore has amassed considerable experience in creative media during his career, a skillset he expects will be useful at Fuse given its recent creative bent. “I fully get how important creative is,” he said. “New work keeps coming out [of Fuse] that’s really impressive, and I think it provided an opportunity to work with a team like that, that I haven’t had for a number of years.”
The media veteran also brings considerable experience with traditional media, including what he characterized as a “huge amount” of broadcast buying acumen which will be helpful for clients looking to take more buying in-house.
“[O]nce they go down that road, it’s a lot tougher and bigger job than they may have imagined, but there’s a lot of compelling reasons to do so,” said Moore. “Often a lot of people don’t have any idea how to plan media and execute in the offline space. We’re as much a consultancy as a purchaser of media, and we craft or customize services based on each individual client need.”
Moore is tasked with building out Fuse’s media offering and integrating media planning and buying with the agency’s intelligence desk Fuse IQ (FiQ).
Disclosure: Stephen Brown is a financial supporter of The Message. Financial supporters have no influence or input on editorial decisions.
