Janet Callaghan, one of Canada’s best-respected media directors, has signed on to play for the opposing team.

Late last month, she was named group senior vice-president of integrated marketing for media behemoth Bell Globemedia and charged with the enormous task of developing multi-platform advertising solutions across the company’s various media brands – which include CTV, TSN, The Globe and Mail, Globe Interactive, and Sympatico/Lycos.

It’s a challenge she’s relishing.

‘If the role of leader is to make complex issues simple, that’s what I intend to do.’

Callaghan says there is no rule book for integration, and while it would be easier to develop cookie-cutter solutions, her intention is to leverage the strength of Bell Globemedia’s portfolio by developing customized vehicles for advertisers.

‘Clients want much less waste and much better targeting,’ she explains.

Callaghan’s job has been made a bit easier by the willingness of the organization’s various marketing and sales teams to work together. Indeed, she says, they have already collaborated on some major cross-platform deals.

Her goal, Callaghan says, is to make cross-platform buys simple for both agencies and advertisers – without reducing Bell Globemedia to a commodity. She argues that its targeting capabilities make it inherently more valuable to advertisers.

‘If you can now reach your target through a lot of different contact points throughout the day, through different media, surely that has much better value and much less waste.

‘I’ve thought about this role and I see it as a pivotal one in all organizations, and obviously in Bell Globemedia. It’s a new level of integrated marketing.’

Callaghan left MBS/The Media Company last June after two and half years as vice-president, corporate media director. Prior to MBS, she was vice-president, national media director at J. Walter Thompson. She has been in the media business for 20 years.