Walker, formerly head of Audience Acquisition and Insights at Kagiso Media, and director of Search and Analytics at 25AM for five years prior to that, will now lead HoneyKome’s digital strategy team.

HoneyKome, part of the Ole! Media Group has a mobile first outlook. The company is driven by digital and focuses on creating campaigns that integrate into the overall marketing mix to work on many levels - engaging, informing, converting and ultimately performing. Walker’s role will be to ensure that every aspect of the digital strategy from SEO to social media - is fully integrated into the mix, and that performance marketing and advertising objectives are met.

An acknowledged expert in his field and recipient of the Bookmark Award for Paid Search Specialist in 2012, Walker explored his creative side as a graphic designer before finding his natural home in data, and what makes audiences tick. “Michael’s experience is the perfect combination to grow HoneyKome’s basket of services in terms of digital media planning, media buying and performance,” commented Deseré Orrill, managing director of HoneyKome and CMO of Ole! Media Group.

“In the past 12 months the agency has incorporated video production (digital and broadcast quality) and a number of other strategic arms to embrace both the brand and the consumer’s need to engage with each other. Targeting the offering is becoming more important and Michael’s skillset is vital to where we are going as an agency and as an industry,” commented Orrill.

Walker would know just where this industry is headed. Hooked on the ‘ping’ (the sound a dial-up Internet connection used to make) from the start, he has taught himself coding, website design, digital advertising, and UX before moving into analytics and advertising.

Commenting on why he has chosen to return to agency life, Walker said: “I get to experience the best of both worlds at HoneyKome – creativity and digital - and how we can make them both work harder to deliver amazing results for our clients.”

“HoneyKome also offers a nimble and agile infrastructure which complements how I prefer to work. The company is fully prepared to grasp the changes and developments in this shifting industry and run with them. That’s refreshing and exciting and I’m looking forward to the ride.”

Walker is the first in a line of new senior executives who will be joining the HoneyKome team over the next six weeks. This marks a period of investment into senior talent in order to underpin and build on the agency’s existing creative and strategic capabilities. This will also further strengthen the overall Ole! Media Group offering to clients.

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