• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, May 10, 2016

Three out-of-home ad-buying specialists — WPP’s Kinetic Worldwide, Latcom, and Mediakeys — have formed a new venture called the Smart Alliance, designed to enable easier implementation of global OOH campaigns.

Calling it an industry first, the group said that clients will be able to buy media across 250 markets from a single location via the alliance.

The platform's operations will be managed via a global hub based in London that will be overseen by former Kinetic CEO of World Markets David Payne. The hub will be dedicated to optimizing delivery on behalf of the alliance while each company maintains management over strategic planning and client operations in their home regions.

The Alliance will utilize Kinetic for North America, China, India, and Northern Europe; Latcom for Latin America, Spain, and the Caribbean; and Mediakeys for Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, Japan, Korea, and Australia.

“Smart Alliance creates the perfect platform for us to deliver increased efficiencies to all our accounts and to continue expanding our international footprint,” said Mauricio Sabogal, global CEO of Kinetic Worldwide.