Euro RSCG, 4D Unite in N.Y.

NEW YORK Havas' Euro RSCG and Euro RSCG 4D today moved to combine their respective New York operations under a single leadership team.As a result, the departments and 80 staffers of 4D, a digital and direct marketing shop, will be blended in with those of the ad agency, Euro RSCG. The combined 500-person agency will operate under a single profit and loss center as Euro RSCG.Named to run the office were Andrew Bennett, global chief strategy officer for the network, and 4D CEO Jeff Brooks. Each takes the title of co-president and will report to Esther Lee, North American CEO of Euro RSCG."Integrating the New York agency and our 4D digital company is an incredibly important step to ensure that we are able to organically deliver multi-dimensional brand and business solutions for our clients," said Lee. "Our consumers live in multi-dimension without delineation. It's time our industry's business model reflects this."Previously, Brooks, 37, ran the digital and direct shop's New York office and oversaw operations in Boston and Wilton, Conn. The ad agency here had a management team but no president or CEO. New York's last CEO was David Jones, who rose to worldwide CEO in 2005.Brooks' 4D post will be dissolved and 4D executive creative director Patrick Stern will join Euro RSCG's creative department, which is currently led by three ecds: Michael Lee, Alicia Johnson and Hal Wolverton. New York's other top managers, including COO Annette Stover, director of client service Vanessa DiFebo and director of business development Andrew Mueller, will now report to Bennett and Brooks, instead of Lee.Bennett, 36, will retain his duties as chief strategist, a role he assumed in 2004.The co-presidents will share overall leadership and new business duties but divide primary client responsibilities, though both will work across the agency's account roster. Top clients include Reckitt Benckiser, Exxon Mobil, Jaguar, Charles Schwab, Kraft Foods and Hyatt.Initially, Brooks and Bennett, who will share an office, will focus on integrating the two staffs and establishing how they will operate as one. "The type of integration we're talking about is really as complete as integration can get, where you literally have no borders and you have people sitting by function," said Bennett."Good intentions around integration only gets you so far," added Brooks. "The operating model has to change. The p and l structure has to change. As long as there are separate p and l's ... the best intentions fall flat."Before combining, the New York units of Euro RSCG and 4D shared 75 percent to 80 percent of their clients, which should ease the transition, according to Brooks. And although New York will operate as Euro RSCG, the global 4D brand will remain. 4D has 118 offices and about 5,000 staffers worldwide.

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Euro RSCG, 4D Unite in N.Y.

Andrew McMains

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