DDS's competitor, Mediabank, quietly shored up its digital offering and in six short months following the DDS/Mediabrands deal Mediabank signed DraftFCB for digital services. A small but key foothold at IPG.
It was a whoops! for DDS as they struggled to keep the business.
After several starts and stops in 2009, Mediabank hired former Yahoo! and Right Media exec Bill Wise as CEO this past June 2010. It proved to be a wise move as Bill's vision and ability to chart and navigate digital waters was on spot for Mediabank.
Significant strides and development of their offerings over the last eight months, folding in Audience On Demand services in DSP fashion, places Mediabank at the nexus of what is coming next.
And .... it may have panned out as rumors have surfaced concerning a move by Mediabrands to DDS's rival Mediabank. In light of DDS's reluctance to move nimbly into the digital landscape it would not, however, come as a surprise and a severe blow to DDS.
If the Mediabank/DDS contract is up at the end of this year, we may just see a new face at Mediabrands.