The Media Store ushers in its second life not just as ‘Toyota’s old agency’
After The Media Store was decimated by the departure of its foundation client Toyota, in 2021, the agency is now back on its feet and puffing its chest, energised by new staffing, clients, and a refreshed ownership structure. Mumbrella’s Calum Jaspan speaks to CEO, Stephen Leeds and COO, Jacquie Alley about the agency’s ‘second season’.
The Media Store launched its new positioning as the ‘Media Reimagined’ at its 25th anniversary recently, which comes as it emerges from one of the more turbulent periods any agency could have to weather.
Initially launched as Toyota’s bespoke media agency in 1997, it was a relationship that lasted for the best part of the agency’s history, so intertwined that it often stifled The Media Store’s attempts to lure in other accounts of similar stature.
In 2015, The Media Store appointed Toyota media executive, Craig Jepsen as its CEO, with the agency then following the Japanese car brand in its relocation to Melbourne two years later, led by its now-CEO, Stephen Leeds.
Congrats Leedsy and Jacq. Working at TMS was a fantastic experience for myself, and the clients were always first and foremost for delivering exceptional service and results. Wish the agency all the best.
TM