BCOM3 Ethnic Media Group Forms ‘Tapestry’.

Bcom3 Group, Inc. is forming Tapestry, a full-service media communications company targeting multicultural consumers, under the Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) umbrella. Bcom3 is also establishing Pangea, which is the first truly integrated, collaborative, multicultural communications group that offers clients a holistic view across the major ethnic and diverse communities in the U.S., as well as seamless development and integration of their ethnic marketing communications. Both will be operational by Jan. 1, 2002.

Tapestry, a joint venture of the media operations of San Antonio-based Bromley Communications and Chicago-based Starcom Hispanic, will blend resources and expertise with media professionals at Admerasia, and form an exclusive, non-equity affiliation with Unity Media, the country’s largest independent media planning and buying agency targeting African-Americans.

Tapestry will operate under the SMG umbrella and will be led by joint managing directors Monica Gadsby and Jessica Pantanini. Nick Brien, president-U.S. business development at SMG, will become chairman of Tapestry. Bob Tassie, president of Unity Media, and Thanh Nguyen, vice president, media director at Admerasia, will also serve as members of the
Tapestry leadership team.

“Tapestry is the first truly integrated, multicultural media company in the country,” said Gadsby, who will also serve as Tapestry’s Chicago-based chief investment officer. “While other agencies have created holding companies, Tapestry is bringing together the top minds in the country and providing innovation in terms of strategy and execution. Blended expertise with the absolute best resources in existence through SMG will enable our clients to
proactively seize the multicultural marketing opportunity.”

Tapestry will leverage the fact that advertisers are increasingly investing in culturally and ethnically diverse markets. While media spending in the general market has increased about 20 percent in the past four years, Hispanic media spending has grown 69 percent to over $2 billion. Asian media growth is running at 20 percent a year, totaling about $300 million. Advertisers currently spend about $1 billion per year for African-American-targeted media.

“One of the many reasons Tapestry will create such value for clients will be our ability to provide proprietary research in the ethnic component of the market,” said Bob Tassie, president of Unity Media, the largest independent African-American media agency in the U.S. “Although we’ve always had excellent second-hand research, now we’ll understand things to the ‘nth’ degree. This will benefit our clients in untold ways and, at the very least, will change dollars from social spending into spending that has a targeted return on investment.”

“Tapestry will offer superb expertise in each major multicultural market as well as a unique ability to integrate a holistic view and coordination across all key ethnic segments. Recognizing that many members of these groups live side by side in the same neighborhoods and are exposed to one another’s discrete media, we will offer our clients seamless integration as appropriate,” said Pantanini, who is also serving as Tapestry’s San Antonio-based chief strategy officer.