JERICHO, NY, March 10, 2003 – AMC has selected Optimedia as its agency of record, it was announced today by AMC’s Vice President of Consumer Marketing, Catherine Moran. Optimedia will be responsible for planning and buying all of the consumer media for the network’s initiatives.
“We chose Optimedia because they demonstrated a strong knowledge of the cable industry,” said Moran. “They also understood AMC’s new brand position, ‘TV for Movie People,’ and how to connect viewers to the network in new and innovative ways.”
Prior to hiring Optimedia, AMC’s incumbent agency for two and a half years was JL Media. When AMC began searching for a new media agency, JL Media and other agencies were invited to submit ideas for AMC’s new animation series “The Wrong Coast,” premiering later this year. AMC evaluated the agencies according to their understanding of the new series and AMC brand; creative approach to media; planning and buying capabilities; and sense of competition and the marketplace.
Optimedia’s current billings are $2.2 billion. Among the agency’s U.S. clients are: BMW, L’Oreal, Sara Lee, T-Mobile and Whirlpool. One of Optimedia’s recent campaigns includes downloadable short films, made by acclaimed directors, at BMWFilms.com.
AMC contracted media specialist Matthew Bryant to consult on the media review. Bryant will stay on board to consult on various upfront strategies now that the media review has come to a close with the hiring of Optimedia.
“Media accounts need a very individual kind of media strategy, said Matthew Bryant, media consultant. “It’s non-traditional, multi-faceted and subject to constant change. Optimedia demonstrated their experience and strength in this area. The fact that their team has worked over the years with other major media accounts was a definite plus. They get it. Their plan and presentation demonstrated this. It’s a smart move for AMC.”
AMC is a 24-hour, movie-based network, dedicated to the American movie fan. The network, which reaches over 84,000,000 homes, offers a comprehensive library of popular movies and an increasingly visible, critically-acclaimed, slate of original programming that is a diverse, movie-based mix of original series, documentaries and specials. AMC has more than doubled its original programming over the past 3 years and garnered many of the industry’s highest honors, including seven Emmy awards. AMC is “TV for movie people.”
A leader in sports, news and entertainment programming, Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc. is a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE:CVC). Rainbow owns and manages AMC, WE: WOMEN’S ENTERTAINMENT, IFC (The Independent Film Channel), muchmusic usa, Mag Rack, Rainbow Sports Networks, News 12 Networks, and MetroChannels as well as the Rainbow Advertising Sales Corporation and Rainbow Network Communications. Rainbow is a fifty-percent partner in Fox Sports Net and has a strategic partnership with MGM (NYSE:MGM), which owns a 20% stake in three of Rainbow’s national networks: AMC, WE: Women ‘s Entertainment, and IFC.