Capital Advertising hires Burnetts boss for top planning job

Capital Advertising, the new Capital Radio-owned sales house, has

poached Nikki Mendonca, the group media director responsible for Procter

& Gamble at Leo Burnett, to be the head of strategic planning and

development.

Mendonca will report directly to Fru Hazlitt, the sales director, and

will be responsible for maximising Capital’s revenue potential through

strategic planning and research. She heads a team of 15, which includes

strategic planning staff, researchers and a business analyst.

Hazlitt said: ’We want to be able to get closer to agencies - especially

the strategic planning departments - as that is where the decision to

use radio is usually made.’

Mendonca will focus on the relationship between Capital Advertising and

the Radio Advertising Bureau.

Hazlitt said: ’We want to reflect what the RAB is doing, and ultimately

all sing from the same songsheet. If the RAB has an idea on how to take

radio forward, Nikki’s job will be to see how Capital should implement

that.’

Mendonca said: ’It is important for me to bring a cerebral focus to what

Capital Advertising is doing - the company needs to be more pro-active

and increase its follow-through. They are such smart people, but what

they need is someone who’s passionate about planning to inject

enthusiasm into the company. My grounding in media other than radio is

vital, as Capital is not competing against other radio stations - it’s

competing against other media.’

Mendonca will join Capital in mid-February, after completing Procter &

Gamble’s media plan for 1998 to 1999.

This article was first published on Campaign