Australian digital executive Patrick Collins has taken the helm of mobile services agency 5th Finger as president, based in San Francisco.
Collins, a co-founder of the company, has been on the executive team of 5th Finger since early 2005 and most recently served as chief operating officer for 5th Finger Australia, which was acquired by Ninemsn.
Collins previously served as 5th Finger’s chief technology officer, leading the development of its proprietary air-cast mobile marketing platform. Prior to joining 5th Finger Collins was chief technology officer at Fairfax Digital. Ninemsn does not have any stakeholding in the US based 5th Finger operations.
“There are a number of traditional interactive agencies out there dabbling with mobile marketing. Our experience suggests that brands are ready to more deeply engage with their consumers on-the-go, and what is missing in the market is proven global experience coupled with a disciplined approach to mobility planning. Through 2009, I look forward to articulating our vision for mobility planning,” Collins said.
In his new position, Collins will work closely with former CEO Campbell Corfe, who will serve as executive chairman. The new management strategy will focus on ramping up 5th Finger’s role as beyond a specialty mobile agency to a “mobility planning” expert.
According to Collins mobility planning, taps into a user’s specific context and purpose, creating campaigns that enhance brand interactivity.
“The market needs specialist mobile agencies who can correctly think about mobility. We work directly with brands to deliver well-envisioned campaign results for the consumer on-the-go. 5th Finger’s recognized mobility planning expertise has already received a huge response from a market that needs and wants,” Collins added.
Last June 5th Finger secured $7 million in Australian venture capital funding from Starfish Ventures to help fund its ongoing growth in the U.S. The sourcing of the funding locally is viewed as a huge coup for the mobile specialist given the tight investment climate particularly for digital ventures.
5th Finger was started by a team Australian mobile entrepreneurs including, Steen Andersson, Warren Billington, Matthew Costello, Luke Forman and Collins.
