Monteleone to Lead Research at GroupM Innovation Unit

In the US, WPP's media investment management company GroupM has appointed big data expert Patrick Monteleone as Director, Research & Insights in its Next media innovation unit.

GroupM Next, which was launched in April, conducts both qual and quant studies and analyses competitive data to understand consumer behavior, measure marketplace trends and provide insights for advertisers. To date, its work has included studying the cost implications for Twitter as its ad platform expands, and the role search plays in purchase and in-store traffic.

Monteleone (pictured) joins after leading Marketing Analytics and Client Analytics for investment house Edward Jones, where he built and deployed predictive models to improve identification of securities buyers, while repurposing data to support the firm's first predictive selling initiative. Before this, he spent eight years with Summit Marketing; initially as Senior Modeling Analyst and later as Director of Strategic Analytics.

In his new role, Monteleone will work closely with GroupM agencies, advertiser brand teams, and third-party partners to deliver research focussed on emerging and digital media.

Chris Copeland, CEO, GroupM Next, comments: 'Pat's background could be summarized simply as big data expert. Adding him to our roster enables us to expand what is already being done through GroupM and our agencies with an eye towards future consumer trends and an emphasis on cross-channel implications.'

Web site: www.groupmnext.com .