Crosson Steps Down as Grey L.A. President

LOS ANGELES John Crosson is resigning the presidency of Grey Global Group's Grey Worldwide here for personal reasons, he confirmed. Crosson said he would remain at the agency for the next few months while his successor is chosen. Crosson said his leaving the agency had nothing to do with the upcoming merger of Grey with WPP Group."I am very fortunate to have the choice to spend more time with my family and work on my golf game, and I've decided to take advantage of that," Crosson said, adding that he may be retiring from advertising entirely. "I have a few things to think about. I leave with mixed emotions."Grey Worldwide CEO Ed Meyer said Grey has no intention of merging Grey into another entity. "BMW, the largest client in that office, is very confident in Grey L.A.'s ability to continue to do great work for them," Meyer said.In a letter to friends sent last night, Crosson wrote that he had worked for "the most successful man in the history of the advertising business, Ed Meyer. And he granted to me extraordinary autonomy, limitless authority and unflinching support." "He's a friend of mine, he hired me, and I'm sorry to see him go," said Bob Merlotti, the shop's executive vice president, executive creative director. "It's bittersweet, because I'm happy that he has a chance to do some different things." Merlotti said he has begun the search process for Crosson's replacement, though he "may not be a president and will be probably someone more like a co-partner, not someone I would report to. Probably WPP doesn't want me touching P&Ls."Merlotti said the hiring authority for the position will go through Grey, New York, and that "WPP would probably want to bless the person."Crosson joined Grey as managing director in May 1998, and assumed the presidency in July 2000. Over the years, clients included Caesar's Palace, Pedigree, Dairy Queen and the California Lottery. Current accounts include BMW's Western region, California State's Energy Conservation, Roman Meal and City National Bank. Previous to Grey, Crosson was at Interpublic Group's Dailey & Associates, where he began his career in 1984 as assistant account executive, working on brands such as Nestle, Gallo and Hilton. Crosson is a past president and chairman of the Los Angeles Advertising Agencies Association; he developed the Minority Advertising Training program and, with Bart Young of The Young Company, Los Angeles, conceived of the Career Day program now in its sixth year. Grey suffered seven layoffs last week, largely due to the loss of Pedigree to Omnicom's TBWA\Chiat\Day in Playa del Rey, Calif., last year, though the cuts did not affect creative, media or account planning. "We certainly had highs and lows at Grey L.A.," Crosson said in his letter. "A few years back, we embarked on an overhaul of Grey L.A., which in turn led to immediate and significant results."Grey is planning a move within the next year, Crosson said, with the agency strongly favoring a space across from WPP's Ogilvy & Mather in Culver City, Calif. —with Kathleen Sampey

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Crosson Steps Down as Grey L.A. President

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