Former Momentum North America CEO Mark Shapiro opens shop Dec. 1 in St. Louis with a handful of staffers and promises of business from auto, entertainment, soft drink and airline brands.
The agency, called Cha-Ching, will be an independent shop handling promos and ads under the positioning “Where above meets below-the-line.” Non-financial partnerships with a sponsorship consultancy and an events agency (both outside St. Louis) are the start of “an intelligence network of six to seven disciplines” referring clients to each other, says Shapiro. Alliances with a CRM shop and a p.r. shop in St. Louis could follow.
The staff—fewer than 10, all titled “brand advocate”—will concentrate on strategy and creative. A board of advisors (most outside St. Louis) will counsel on growth and keep Cha-Ching true to its mission: “Agencies tend to migrate towards revenue and lose sight of the qualitative nature of relationships,” says Shapiro.
Shapiro and CFO Jerry Best were forced out of Momentum North America in May when their jobs were eliminated (May 20 Xtra and July PROMO). The agency is now run by Momentum Worldwide Chairman-CEO Chris Weil and President Bill Kolb.
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