For the fourth year in a row, STROOM has been voted best Media Agency by MT1000. At STROOM it's all about Mediacommerce: the optimal balance between brand and performance, for short-term results and long-term growth. You can read more about it in this article that originally appeared in the MT1000.
Candid Platform, umbrella organization of several advertising, marketing and media agencies, recently merged subsidiaries M2|OC and STROOM . They will continue under the name STROOM. Plus points: improved quality, more broadly integrated online and offline offerings for clients as well as a stronger competitive position.
Founded in 2007, Candid has developed through numerous acquisitions into a broad parent company of a large number of agencies in the Netherlands and the UK. Full-service media agency STROOM was added in 2017; media commerce agency M2|OC (itself a merger of M2 Media and Online Company) followed in 2019. Leading the new company will be CEO Samantha Catsburg. Former managing director of M2|OC, Lars Vink, will assume the role of Chief Client Officer on the three-member board. The position of CFO will be the responsibility of Dennis van de Geer.
'Every euro invested must pay off and contribute to growth'
Mediacommerce
Says Catsburg, "The management teams of our companies have spent the past few months intensively discussing how to become a stronger agency. We have a lot of overlap and cross-pollination and are already together in the Candid media cluster. The idea was that integration could bring many benefits to our competitive position, the broadening of our services and efficiency overall."
The main proposition of the new STROOM is 'Mediacommerce', an invention of M2|OC, of which Vink is quite proud: "We are the first agency in the Netherlands to have achieved the integration of brand investment and marketing performance for e-commerce. This closely matches the needs of the modern client and significantly expands and improves the proposition."
Quantifying everything
Catsburg explains: "The idea behind it is that we can quantify media investment into ultimately concrete results attributable to media: accountable media. Every euro invested must pay off and contribute to growth."
Vink: "Certainly the client board wants the assurance that everything in media and marketing can also be charged back. Except that much of the brand-oriented media is rather diffuse and therefore difficult to quantify. But for that problem we have a powerful solution with our Mediacommerce proposition, unique in the Netherlands."
Catsburg clarifies, "Through far-reaching integration, we can link short-, medium- and long-term effects. We really quantify everything, but in doing so we do maintain a down-to-earth view, because you can do a lot with quantification, but of course it is not the panacea for the entire marketing policy."
Local alternative
An important consideration for the merger of STROOM with M2|OC furthermore is the increasing competition. From national parties, but certainly also from large, internationally operating chains that are also increasingly consolidating themselves. Catsburg: "For many customers we are the desired local alternative, but because of this increasing (international) pressure we had to take steps. We have now grown a lot with 85 professionals and can continue to offer more quality and a broader portfolio at a competitive price. This allows us to better serve our current clients and soon also larger parties and at the same time strengthen our competitive position. This allows us to remain that local alternative. I am firmly convinced that in terms of service, quality and price, we are a more interesting alternative than the large international agencies. We have a much better price-performance ratio, which keeps us on track to win even more MT and Emerce awards. Our clients, including Engie, Bosch/Siemens (BSH), DPG, Vereniging Eigen Huis, Bike Totaal, Dille & Kamille, Amazon Ring and Delta Fiber, are not used to anything else."
Balance
Vink: "It is important that we have simplicity in our services and not all different counters. With us it's one-stop shopping, but with in-depth knowledge in the various disciplines. We also look at sustainable growth, long-term focus. That is important for our type of customers, often growth companies and challengers. Not focusing on performance in e-commerce, but seeking balance between the most important marketing factors. That's where we want to steer. Not just staying on the beaten path, but daring to apply new insights. Our clients are happy with that." Catsburg: "That's the core."