Rally@UM Arrives as Agency's Social Media 'Boutique'

NEW YORK, July 19 /PRNewswire/ -- UM today announced the launch of Rally@UM, a boutique-style social media agency backed by the power and resources of UM. Through Rally, UM will now be able to provide its clients with connected and measurable social media solutions that build community, engage customers, and unlock the relationship between paid, owned earned media.

"The creation of Rally is a giant step forward for UM and its clients," said Heidi Browning, who leads the Rally team as part of her duties as UM's Executive Vice President and Global Digital Officer. "Social media tends to be siloed in companies and/or fragmented across many agencies, leaving marketers wondering how it impacts their marketing mix and business outcomes. We view social media as the central nervous system, coordinating and connecting important functions of an organization. Rally's team of dedicated social marketing experts complements UM's media and analytics prowess to create value for consumers, cultivate customer relationships and drive business results for our clients."

Rally@UM offers flexible solutions to fit client needs, including Listening, Insights & Measurement; Strategy & Ideation; Community Activation and Consumer Relationship Management (CRM); and Social Organizational Consulting. Insights & Measurement consists of social media monitoring, earned media reporting, and conversation mining, which helps extract deeper insights into the brand discussions already taking place in the social media world. Strategy & Ideation develops and sustains social media strategies for clients and includes content and communications planning, among other services. Community Activation and CRM provides full service community development and management to execute social media strategy. Social Organizational Consulting helps clients to develop the proper organizational models, processes, and best practices.

UM created Rally to alleviate some of the confusion that exists about what social media means and how it can best be used. Many marketers understand its importance, but few have been able to give social media the level of focus and resources required to get the most out of the still-emerging medium. Rally@UM does just that, while also delivering specific metrics to show return on investment (ROI).  

"UM's 'Yes &' philosophy practically made Rally@UM a necessity, not just something that sounded good in principal," said Matt Seiler, Global CEO, UM. "We couldn't properly call ourselves a 'full service media agency' without delving more deeply into social media. Social media is changing the marketing world and UM is adapting accordingly."

The launch of Rally allows UM's clients to explore below the surface of the social media world, which in turn aids in future communications planning and creative optimization. Allowing marketers to connect with consumers in such an intimate way provides a two-way dialogue between brands and consumers, and UM is now able to aggressively enter and track that powerful channel.

About UM:

UM (www.umww.com) is a global marketing communications agency that represents the world's leading marketers and strategic thinkers for many highly regarded clients including Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Sony, MasterCard, Johnson & Johnson, L'Oreal and Chrysler. As part of the Interpublic Group of Companies, UM has 151 offices in 130 countries and employs 3,600 creative thinkers and doers. With the mantra, "Yes &," UM offers a full spectrum of media services and is able to tap into a number of exclusive partner agencies so they deliver the most surprising results to clients. They recently were awarded "Media Agency of the Year" by Adweek/Mediaweek and named to the 2009 "A-list" by Advertising Age.

SOURCE UM Universal McCann