Mark Jones, Senior VP-Director of International Media ZENITHOPTIMEDIA, SAN FRANCISCO

To Mark Jones, successful international media strategy always emanates from a basic concept: Solve the business problem. He claims he never loses sight of this, which he calls “solution ethos” and that no work begins until he has framed any campaign in this manner. He scoffs at calling this innovative;“it’s simply doing the work,” he says.Jones, senior VP-director of international media, ZenithOptimedia, San Francisco, not only clearly understands his clients’ needs but easily grasps the potential for creativity within a media brand. Recently, he was instrumental in the success of Hewlett-Packard’s involvement with MTV’s new “Meet or Delete” program throughout the world. With his input, the project took a 180-degree turn. Initial plans called for a global deal with a program created in the U.S. that would be aired in various parts of the world with subtitles and without local adaptation.This less-local approach was not in HP’s best interests, Jones argued, nor would it build confidence for the brand with young people, who are tech-savvy, but often resistant to messages that lack a youth-culture authenticity. He encouraged HP to change tactics and create a locally executed program with input from regional teams to insure the greatest effectiveness in each market.This meant adding substantial budget so that diverse markets as India, Korea, Mexico, and the Nordic region had more tailored and locally relevant programming.With the new approach, the project has succeeded in elevating the HP brand image within the youth market around the world.