Media: All about ... Starcom MediaVest Group UK.

Is the media group's restructure more than cosmetic, Alasdair Reid asks.

Starcom MediaVest Group found itself in a strange position last week - keen to announce a change in structural emphasis and celebrate two major UK appointments, yet almost scared to do so, lest anyone drew the wrong conclusions.

All organisations succumb to these sorts of anxieties when contemplating change. They need to reassure themselves and the world that the steps they are taking are more than cosmetic; yet they are desperate to emphasise continuity.

But in Starcom's case, there appeared to be an added layer of uneasiness - management seemed more than naturally sensitive to any implication that this actually amounted to a strategic U-turn.

So, whisper it. Last week's appointments (Alastair Bannerman to the position of managing director at …