It’s hardly surprising that some senior IPG execs are contemplating pastures new with the mooted takeover by Omnicom and now McCann UK CEO Polly McMorrow (below) is off – reported to be joining Richard Brim and Martin Beverley’s start-up agency due to launch in February.
McCann says: “We would like to thank Polly McMorrow for the enduring impact she has made on McCann London. Her energy and passion will be missed by all – and we look forward to witnessing what she will do in her next creative venture.” Which all sounds very sporting. McMorrow hasn’t commented. Goodness knows what new McCann CCO Lynsey Atkin from 4Creative makes of it all.
Running a network creative agency these days is a pretty grim task with all the holding retrenching on the creative side as they just can’t seem to make money out of it. A successful start-up though can still be a quick-ish route to riches as the New Commercial Arts team have shown in selling to WPP and Ogilvy not that long after founders James Murphy and David Golding sold adam&eve to Omnicom’s DDB. Nils Leonard’s team at Uncommon Creative Studio are well on the way to a further big pay-out at Havas.
On the face of it there seems to be something odd here: if creative agencies across the board are struggling, why are the big networks still shelling out large sums to buy promising start-ups? Clearly they’re still a flagship of sorts.
As for IPG, with the Omnicom takeover not due to close until the second half of 2025, it clearly needs to do something to stem the talent flow as some clients at least will follow them.
McMorrow, 14 years at BBH, is a class act and, if she does join Brim and Beverley, will create a solid foundation for the eagerly awaited start-up.
