DDB Absorbs Element 79
September 26, 2012 by Screenmag
Element 79, the ad agency originally formed in 2001 to handle the work for PepsiCo., will be absorbed by the Chicago office of DDB. Both share New York-based Omnicom Group as a parent company.
The decision comes after a Element 79 struggled in the last few years to retain accounts and key management.
The agencies issued a joint statement this week, saying that the merger will give both agencies access to greater resources and capabilities to serve and lead clients. DDB Chicago’s CEO, Peter McGuinness, will oversee the merger for the next several months while Element 79’s CEO Brian Williams will leave but consult throughout the transition period.
The remaining employees at Element 79, about 25, will shift to DDB along with the agency’s last accounts, La Quinta, Bear Creek, Supercuts and Career Education Corporation. It lost the majority of its major account, PepsiCo, in 2008. More recently, the agency had lost American Family Insurance and Harris Bank in 2010 along with its chief creative officer, Dennis Ryan, who left in 2011 to head the digital shop Olson in Minneapolis.