CHI launches full-service agency

The agency extends the previous media offering, CHI & Partners Media, and will be led by MCHI managing partners Tim Allnutt and Enyi Nwosu.

Based just doors away from CHI’s Rathbone Street office in central London, MCHI houses 45 staff and has adopted CHI’s media clients, including The Carphone Warehouse, Virgin Money and Tiger Beer.

The new joint venture comes after CHI & Partners Media was awarded Virgin Money’s £20m media planning and buying account last February, a move which catapulted it into a top-20 media agency player in terms of billings.

According to Nwosu, MCHI offers a more effective way to service media clients, run on an uncompromised fee-based model, as opposed to a commission-led one.

"MCHI offers an inside-out approach to media marketing, focused solely on leveraging the best products for clients," said Nwosu. "Because we are fee based and not commission linked to channel choices, we can bring big ideas to life from the inside out.

"The most powerful channels for brands to build closer relationships with customers are often their retail spaces, products and people. We look to communicate outwards to grow our clients businesses."

MCHI is already involved in a number of undisclosed pitches and has also been awarded the full-service business for CHI client Big Yellow Storage.

Media buying at the new agency will be led by Mindshare managing partner, head of non-broadcast and GroupM executive, Paul Thomas.

WPP owns a 49% stake in CHI and the formation of MCHI was brokered by Johnny Hornby, chief executive of CHI, and Jed Glanvill, chief executive of Mindshare.