Andy Jonesco Leaves @KineticWW
Adrian J Cotterill, Editor-in-Chief
Andy Jonesco, Kinetic’s EMEA CEO since December 2011 was let go last week – this of course is unerringly close to the dismissal earlier this year of the person who recruited him, Global CEO and Kinetic lifer Steve Ridley.
It is also rumoured that Mick Ridley, the head of META – Kinetic’s ‘Information Architects’ was also let go last week. Mick just happens to be Steve Ridley‘s brother.
On the surface it is easy to dismiss these moves as the obligatory new broom sweeps clean – i.e. eliminating the last vestiges of the previous regime.
In our opinion the appointment of Andy Jonesco back in December 2011 was exactly the sort of inspired hire that Kinetic should have been doing – not least for stepping outside the outdoor ghetto to recruit a leader with proven cross media management experience. Andy previously had senior roles at Express Newspapers, the Telegraph, Yahoo and latterly Sky.
Andy was equipped with experience of both traditional media and a deep understanding of content driven media assets, a rare beast indeed in the Out of Home sector and one seemingly well equipped for the technological transformational impact that digital and mobile would bring to our world AND especially how it is deployed by advertisers and engaged with by its consumers.
It was no doubt not easy trying to establish and operate an EMEA footprint for Kinetic as a stand alone operation within WPP when Group M are so dominant (and of course stand to lose out if Kinetic succeed).
Here in fact is the key issue and the future battleground that in our humble opinion explains the departures of both Ridley and Jonesco.
Is perhaps the new Global CEO of Kinetic clearing the decks and readying the operation for its submersion into Group M?
Do these moves, signal the beginning of the end for Kinetic (and DOOH media buying) as a SEPARATE function within WPP – Group M already control the Kinetic operation in Asia Pacific, installing a puppet head in September 2012 after Chris O’Donnell (now Posterscope’s Global Commercial Director) left.
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