Delaney Report : This For That
Orion, the multi-purposed barter/media company owned by agency holding company Interpublic Group, is setting its sights on growth. Orion, for example, has plans to expand its foundation business – barter (Orion will buy client assets, sell the assets, and purchase media). “We have the opportunity to use client products to get media. We’re seeing different asset classes (Orion purchases a client’s to bottling plants in the U.S. and Mexico). And we’re finding new opportunities internationally. Europe, Australia – that’s where the exciting new growth is. And China is an opportunity. We do due diligence upfront. We work with IPG’s legal and risk folks, and clients are more accepting now of the rigor we put into barter,” said OH global CEO Brian McMahon.
OH is putting attention on other areas a la its ORION Capital (media investments), NSA Media (newspaper services) and ORION Printing (print management). “With ORION Capital, media companies are looking to us for capital investment in exchange for media,” he said. With NSA, OH is forging partnerships with newspapers to develop digital circulars, while its joint venture with print company Pitney Bowes is helping its clients reduce their printing costs. OH’s other businesses include OAG (outdoor media concepts) and Wahlstrom (directories).
