Two former senior executives of The Red Republic of McCann Worldgroup have started a new media agency within BCM Group called IVY.

Mumbrella can reveal that the former chief executive of The Red Republic, Mia Hamilton, partnered with former group account director Emma Bedsor to create the agency.

IVY offers public relations, social media, influencer management, events and activations services to complement BCM Group’s current media, digital and creative services.

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The agency will have offices in Sydney and Brisbane, and Hamilton and Bedsor will serve as co-managing directors.

Hamilton, who had worked for The Red Republic since 2010 in roles that included group account manager and creative, said she and Bedsor would have the autonomy to develop the agency, despite sitting within the BCM group. .

“Emma and I have wanted to create an agency like IVY for some time and the independence, freedom and autonomy inherent in BCM Group has provided us with the perfect environment to do so.

“The irony is that PR has an image problem and we want to be a brand that helps counter that. Media earned doesn’t just come from a press release, it can start with a TVC, a social media post, or a smart search campaign.

“Brand love must be earned and any material that connects a brand to consumers in a memorable or meaningful way will naturally end up in the press and eventually in the public vernacular. We are working with the creative and strategic departments to reverse engineer this process.

IVY will have offices in Sydney and Brisbane

Bedsor, meanwhile, had worked for The Red Republic for over six years and previously worked for full-service marketing agency TwoCents Group.

She said that IVY will have the foresight to recognize that public relations is not always the answer and that it will do so on a diverse range of solutions for clients. “Too often we see news agencies ticking boxes and working in silos.

“Working with a larger group of agencies like BCM is absolutely essential in developing the kind of creative and persuasive campaigns that change consumer sentiment towards brands.

“BCM is one of Australia’s leading independents and is really integrated which is a refreshing proposition. The reality is, public relations isn’t always the answer. And we appreciate being able to offer our customers a truly diverse range of solutions, including digital, performance and media.

BCM Group Partner and Managing Director Phil McDonald said it was exciting to enter the Sydney market with IVY. “Being able to create ideas that use both earned and paid media makes them bigger and much more effective in a fragmented media landscape.

“This expansion of our group and a more thoughtful entry into the Sydney market is incredibly exciting. On top of that, Mia and Emma are both wonderfully talented which is a huge bonus. “

BCM recently unveiled a new campaign for national home builder GJ Gardner, after being named to the company’s creative and media account a month earlier.

Hero Group founder Ben Lilley acquired McCann Worldgroup Australia in early 2020, and three months later took ownership of Red Engine, merging it with McCann Worldgroup’s partner PR agency, The Red Republic. .