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A string of US agencies have opened in London in the past few years including big names Droga5, Crispin Porter and Mcgarrybowen. So far it has been tough going for our former American subjects but one which might make the long-awaited breakthrough is Anomaly.
Anomaly was founded in New York by Carl Johnson, the Johnson in Simons Palmer Denton Clemmow and Johnson, and is now part of MDC Partners. It recently recruited Camilla Harrison from M&C Saatchi as CEO and partner. Now it’s been appointed to handle Cancer Research UK’s brand advertising, its second win this year after TheTrainline.com.
Cancer Research UK brand, marketing and communications director Anthony Newman says: “I couldn’t be more pleased to appoint Anomaly as our brand communications agency. We have developed a new and exciting integrated comms strategy and I wanted new and exciting work to deliver against it. Anomaly hit all the right buttons and then some. We have set our ambitions very high, but I am confident this completely fresh approach will deliver.”
Camilla Harrison says: “We’re elated. It’s a massive privilege and a huge responsibility to work with Cancer Research UK. I simply can’t think of a brief, which more demands brilliant work that overperforms. The pressure’s on!”
Anomaly won the business, which moves from AMV BBDO, in a competitive pitch. AMV is supposed to be still working on Cancer Research UK’s health marketing campaigns although where the difference between those and ‘brand’ lies for a cancer charity is a touch mysterious. But Anomaly, which has worked hard to position itself as an agency that provides all-round communications as well as advertising, certainly has an appeal for clients looking for something different.
