IPG has launched a Canadian media office under the name Universal McCann Canada, in Toronto to service the company’s multi-national UM clients.
The move comes as a result of UM’s Chrysler account win in December, which represented a conflict with General Motors at IPG’s other Canadian office, M2 Universal.
"[The new office] is something we’d been mulling over the last 12 months or so, but the Chrysler win was the catalyst in actually making something happen," said Hugh Dow, chairman of Mediabrands Canada. "It’s become very clear that we are really working with two different types of businesses–the global international business [like Chrysler] and the local Canadian business [like GM]. They involve different processes, systems, knowledge, people and contacts. So it was something we had already started to develop, but as the Chrysler thing became real, we realized this was the time to do it. So it was really the trigger that caused us to create two separate companies."
Universal McCann was able to convince its other global automotive client, BMW, that the agency could keep it sufficiently separate from the Chrysler account, using its work for both Johnson & Johnson and L’Oréal as an example.
Peter Mears, former director of global accounts for PHD London, has been named president of UM Canada.
Mears worked in Toronto from 2001 to 2004 with HYPN/PHD Canada, and also with PHD in the U.S.
"When you think about it, Peter is the ideal person to lead a global international company because he’s worked in Toronto, New York and London," said Dow. "I can’t think of having better credentials than that."
The new office will bring over some M2 Universal staff as a result of client moves. UM Canada’s client list includes Sony, Microsoft, Labatt, MasterCard and the Chrysler business.
J3, the dedicated Johnson & Johnson media unit, will continue as a separate entity at UM Canada.
M2 Universal will focus on the Canadian client base, including GM, Royal Bank, Dairy Farmers of Canada, Wendy’s and CBC.
The two offices will share some backroom staff, particularly in the financial side of the business.
Opening a UM-branded office in Toronto brings a brand on a hot streak to the Canadian market. In January, Universal McCann was named Advertising Age’s "Comeback Agency of the Year" thanks to account wins that included the US$200 million BMW assignment, as well as Dyson, Charles Schwab, Applebee’s and Chrysler.
The turnaround is largely credited to global CEO Matt Seiler, someone Mears worked closely with at PHD in the U.S. and was a key factor in Mears’ decision to lead the new Canadian office.
"When this opportunity started being discussed, Matt and I had a lot of discussion about what he’s been doing with UM globally and I’m really excited to bring to this market the idea of surrounding myself with curious people and curiosity really driving who we are," said Mears. "The global vision is ‘curious minds for surprising results’ and that’s really a strong area for a media company to be playing in. It’s not just about planning and buying media nowadays. It’s about how do we get the deep consumer insight to drive business results for our clients. So my goal is to help bring that vision to the Canadian marketplace and we’re ready to do just that with the great client base and staff that we have."
