Kinetic appoints Keith Kaplan as global CEO
Kinetic, the global out-of-home agency that is part of WPP, announced the appointment of Keith Kaplan as Global Chief Executive Officer.
Kaplan is well-regarded as a strategic advisor at the intersection of digital and out-of-home (OOH) with a strong focus on innovative ways to drive success for clients. Kaplan takes over from Marc-Antoine de Roys, who recently announced his retirement.
Brian Gleason, Chief Commercial Officer, GroupM: “The future for out-of-home is exciting and, with Keith at the helm, we plan an acceleration in 2021 to expand our offerings to stay ahead of changing brand challenges as consumer behavior continues to evolve. Keith brings us deep expertise, and he’s also a passionate leader who is eager to make an impact on our company. This aligns perfectly with our goal for growth and our desire to spur innovation for our clients’ brands.”
The appointment was made as the OOH category is poised for growth and transformation in 2021. According to GroupM’s This Year, Next Year Global Forecast, out-of-home is expected to experience 17.8% growth in 2021, followed by double-digit growth in 2022. As new technologies emerge and consumer behaviors pivot once again, Kinetic is primed to help brands anticipate and take advantage of the changes.
Keith Kaplan, Global CEO, Kinetic: “I have always passionately believed that out-of-home is a severely undervalued medium with an extremely bright future; however, the world has never given a reason for out-of-home to accelerate its pace of change until now. The industry is on the verge of a major transformation and my priority is to put us at the center of it all. I’ve also known the Kinetic team for a long time, and that experience tells me that they are ready for the revolution.”
In his first move as CEO, Kaplan plans to roll out his vision focused on people, offerings and innovation that include: investment in the professional development of the Kinetics teams, development of new tools and offerings, and innovative ways for agencies and brands to connect with people as OOH technologies advance.
Based in NYC, Keith is a highly skilled advisor, investor, and executive who has played a significant role in shaping the ad-tech industry for 20+ years. He helped build a global ad network at Adconion (now Amobee), led Global Client and Agency Development for Yahoo, and spearheaded global monetization for King Digital Entertainment, a division of Activision. In the King role, he was responsible for the successful expansion of King’s Global Sales team along with King’s revenue by focusing on the growth and development of strategic accounts, global agencies, and third-party relationships.
