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Omnicom creative politics beyond understanding

Holding company politics are always diverting, unless you happen to be on the wrong end of them.

Campaign reports today that AMV BBDO creative directors Anthony Nelson and Mike Sutherland – authors of the Currys PC World ‘Spare The Act’ campaign starring Jeff Goldblum which has won buckets of awards – are “understood” to be moving to adam&eveDDB as deputy executive creative directors (wonder who’ll be the first agency to have assistant or associate executive creative directors..).

Fair enough, both are top agencies. And the fiercest of rivals despite both being owned by Omnicom. That’s fair enough too.

Then we read that Omnicom is “understood” to have dictated that neither agency can confirm the move. Which sounds rather heavily headmasterly. Is someone at Omnicom – Peter Mead for example – thoroughly pissed about this? Can’t believe that CEO John Wren even knows who they are.

Adam&eveDDB (the founders are in the last stage of their earn-out) is the only major Omnicom company not moved into the holding company’s vast new Southwark HQ (below). AMV resides there, not wholly happily as they much preferred their old Marylebone Road quarters.
omnicom-bankside

Poaching people from a sibling is never popular with the owner, of course, as the people moving get a rise and have to be replaced, costing the owner twice. If the two agencies were in the same building it would probably be case of pistols at dawn. But they’re not.

Nelson and Sutherland are moving or they’re not. Once they’re at A&E (assuming they go) do they have to pretend they’re still at AMV?

Quel dommage!

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