McCann Erickson Expands Behavioral Research

In New York, ad agency McCann Erickson has hired Anne Benvenuto as Director of Behavioral Planning, as part of a reorganization to expand its behavioral research offering.

As part of this transition, the agency has also transferred former co-directors of Strategic Planning John Kottmann and Devika Bulchandani - the former to the post of Director of Business Strategy and Analytics and the latter to the role of Director of Brand Planning.

McCann Erickson says this latest move is designed to build on a reputation for focusing on the understanding of consumer attitudes toward brands, and grow a specific offering in the area of behavioral research and business analytics.

Benvenuto was previously Director of Strategic Services at digital agency R/GA, where she oversaw three departments: insights/planning, analytics and connections. Prior to this, she worked at WPP Group's Wunderman in New York, where she helped develop the firm's interactive practice and led its experience planning efforts. She also worked client-side, as Director of Marketing at Autobytel.

'What we have been doing is examining what consumers are doing and how they're behaving,' explained President Thom Gruhler. 'It's my personal philosophy that the closer our ideas are to what we know about consumers and what they're actually doing, the more likely, the more easy and the more measurable our ideas will be for clients to purchase.'

Web site: www.mccann.com .