Reprise Names Worldwide CEO to Lead Forays Into Social and Shopping

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Reprise Media hired Bant Breen as worldwide CEO, a role in which he'll oversee the search agency's evolution into a broad-based digital marketing shop. In the newly-created position, Breen will also lead Reprise's expansion in Europe, Asia, and Latin America, as well as into the social shopping arena.

"Reprise has been expanding internationally for the past six months or so," said Matt Freeman, CEO of Mediabrands Ventures, which encompasses Reprise. According to Freeman, Reprise's footprint in overseas markets has grown enough to warrant "a true global leader." Mediabrands is owned by Interpublic Group.

Reprise has expanded in 12 markets in recent months, partly through acquisition and partly through its existing local offices, said Freeman. Key markets for the firm include Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, the Netherlands, and the U.K.

Bant started his new role today, and will be based in Reprise's New York office, reporting to Freeman. In addition to helping extend Reprise's international clientele, he will be "looking at bolstering our international presence both through organic growth and acquisition," said Freeman.

Reprise, like many agencies that began as search marketing firms, has evolved to integrate social media capabilities into its repertoire. "It's really taking a search point of view in the social space," Freeman said, noting that the goal is to "make brands more findable."

Now he said the company plans to take its search and social integration to the next level by offering services to retail and e-commerce clients, in an effort to carry campaigns from the consumer intent phase of search to the "purchase experience."

Bant was most recently president worldwide digital communications at Initiative, and led the acquisition of Reprise Media in 2006. Bant has also held roles at Interpublic.