True North Communications, Chicago, is linking its marketing units under one brand as part of a restructuring designed to provide global clients with full menus of marketing services.
Two co-chief executive officers will operate in London and Wilton, CT, through the reorganization, which is designed to help clients in the U.S. and Europe meet their expansion goals, says Wes Bray, head of True North’s now-dissolved Promotion Services Group. Bray becomes Wilton ceo for the new group, dubbed Marketing Drive Worldwide. Mark Timbrell, founder of the Marketing Drive agency in London that True North purchased last year, takes ceo duties on the other side of the pond.
Comprised of True North’s 14 marketing units, Marketing Drive will have 700 employees on four continents and $475 million in billings. One of the units, New York City-based The Properties Group, which sells continuity programs such as Movie Cash, will retain its name and remain freestanding headed by John Galinos, who continues to report to Bray.
Almost all other units will be sub-branded to preserve their individual equity beneath the Marketing Drive brand. For example, Wilton-based MGR will be Marketing Drive Worldwide-MGR. To broaden their capabilities, Marketing Drive will push expertise in five practice areas to the units: sales promotion, branding, relationship marketing, marketing consultancy, and promo support services.
“Clients are increasingly asking us about international capabilities. It’s becoming one of the criteria for selection,” says Bray, noting that the group will make acquisitions and staff transfers to build skills throughout the network.
Through the realignment, international companies such as Terre Lune of Paris and Direct Friends of Hamburg, which had been reporting to regional managers of True North’s Bozell division, will report to the co-chief execs.
Mickey Jardon, who was MGR’s chief operating officer, will be president of the promotion practice in the Americas. MGR ceo Mickey Goodman becomes president of the relationship marketing group in the Americas. Clive Mishon, a co-founder of Marketing Drive, will be president of the promo practice in Europe, Asia, and Africa.
“The architecture that we have created for Marketing Drive Worldwide will address emerging client needs in this fast-moving sector,” where clients are “seeking to consolidate their marketing services across related practice areas and ultimately on a multinational scale,” says True North ceo David Bell.
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