DigitasLBi, as it seems to have become following Publicis Groupe’s merger of two of its big digital acquisitions, has poached JWT London planning director David Carr (left) to be its new strategy director. At JWT Carr worked on Johnson & Johnson among others.
Carr says: “The DigitasLBi team has an incredibly diverse range of skills, and I’ve been impressed by their depth of experience and intelligence. I’m looking forward to exploring how we can use the unique blend of strategy, creativity, media and technology to help transform our clients’ businesses.”
Carr will report to DLB’s head of creative strategy Ed Beard.
DLB will be a key part of Omnicom/Publicis when the two ad giants eventually persuade Chinese regulators to approve their mega-merger. Publicis bought digital network LBi for $540m 18 months ago, the same price WPP paid for its former independent rival AKQA. At the time it looked as though these two would lead digital creative for their respective networks in a head-to-head. They may still do so, of course, put Publicis promptly merged LBi with Digitas, which it bought some years ago, suggesting that it had rather too many digital agencies doing the same thing.
But LBi, as was, has put on a fair number of accounts since it joined Publicis so seems to be in the driving seat at the merged agency.
