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Aventis Narrows to 3 in $100 Mil. Lantus ReviewNEW YORK—Aventis Pharmaceuticals cut to three shops on Friday in a global review for its Lantus diabetes drug, sources said. Billings are estimated at $100 million. The cut came after presentations last week by five agencies: Interpublic Group's McCann-Erickson; Omnicom Group's TBWA Worldwide; Havas' Euro RSCG; Grey Global Group's Healthy Grey and WPP Group's Young & Rubicam, said sources. Each agency partnered with sister shops that handle media buying and other specialty disciplines. Sources said that Healthy Grey, Y&R and Euro RSCG advanced. FCB Takes Diet Coke DutiesNEW YORK—Foote, Cone & Belding was awarded the U.S. Diet Coke account, following a creative review in which the other finalist was the incumbent and fellow IPG shop Lowe, the client confirmed. A Coca-Cola Co. representative said multiple agencies handle the account in overseas markets. The U.S. media spend was about $40 million in 2001, according to CMR. New executions are expected in the first quarter, a source said. D'Arcy in L.A. to Merge With Colby; N.Y. Layoffs Continue LOS ANGELES—Publicis Groupe's D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles' office in Los Angeles will be folded into Colby & Partners, executives at the two shops said. Four accounts and an undetermined number of the 35 staffers at D'Arcy will make the move, but D'Arcy's largest client, Sonicare, is expected to shift to Publicis' Leo Burnett in Chicago, sources said. The move is slated to take effect early next year. Colby is wholly owned by Dentsu Corp., which, in turn, holds a 15 percent stake in Publicis. Separately, layoffs began last week at D'Arcy in New York and will continue this week, sources said. The exact number of people affected could not immediately be determined, but sources said that in all, up to 100 people could be let go out of D'Arcy New York's 300-plus staffers. D'Arcy is being dissolved in the coming weeks, and its accounts have been parceled out to its Publicis sibling agencies. Also, Bob Nelson, D'Arcy head of broadcast production, and John Russo, co-ecd of D'Arcy New York, resigned, sources said. A D'Arcy representative did not return calls.McCann Europe CFO Heading to Y&RNEW YORK—Stefan Himpe, the CFO for McCann-Erickson in Europe, is leaving the IPG agency to return to WPP Group's Young & Rubicam in the dual role of COO and CFO for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Y&R confirmed. Himpe has resigned from McCann, but will stay on until his successor is found. Himpe's exit is unrelated to the accounting imbalance that surfaced this year among McCann offices in Europe, according to sources, who said he was leaving of his own accord. As COO at Y&R, Himpe will succeed Alain Rousset, who is retiring. Destiny's Child's Knowles to Tout PepsiNEW YORK—Pepsi signed Beyoncé Knowles to appear in two TV commercials, radio and Internet ads, consumer promotions and POP materials, and the relationship could evolve to include a Pepsi concert sponsorship, the beverage maker said. Knowles is the lead singer of Destiny's Child, but is in talks with Pepsi about a solo concert tour in 2003. Omnicom's BBDO is the Purchase, N.Y.-based client's lead agency. Aflac Ad to Star The Amazing KreskinNEW YORK—Aflac, the supplemental-health-insurance provider, signed The Amazing Kreskin to appear in a new ad to run during the first quarter, the company said. Publicis' The Kaplan Thaler Group in New York created the ad campaign that featured the Aflac duck for the Columbus, Ohio, client. RFPs Out for $170 Mil. Capital One BizNEW YORK—Capital One is reaching out to several more shops for its $170 million account, the client confirmed. Questionnaires went out last week from Bob Wolf Partners/TPG in Los Angeles, which is handling the creative review for Capital One's $170 million U.S. and U.K. account, sources said. Wolf was managing the creative review between Publicis Groupe agencies The Kaplan Thaler Group and D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles/Publicis. D'Arcy is being dissolved in the coming weeks, and the D'Arcy/Publicis team did not advance. Kaplan Thaler will take over the account during the review, the client said. Agencies that received RFPs include DDB, Grey and Berlin Cameron/Red Cell, sources said. Kaplan Thaler will also participate. 4 Compete for Bristol-Myers' Excedrin AccountNEW YORK—Four agencies met with Bristol-Myers Squibb last week about its Excedrin creative account, sources said. They include Omnicom's Brand Architecture International in New York and roster shops DDB in Chicago, also an Omnicom shop, Cordiant's Bates and IPG's Gotham, both in New York, said sources. Incumbent Bozell resigned the business last month after declining to pitch a new Excedrin-branded product, due to launch in 2003, said sources. The New York shop declined comment. The New York-based company spent $25 million in measured media on the brand in the first nine months of 2002, according to CMR. Brand Architecture worked with Gary Matthews, president of Bristol-Myers' consumer unit, when he was a top executive at both Guinness and Derby Cycle. The client and agencies could not be reached. Media duties, handled by MindShare in New York, are unaffected. Bungey to Step Down at Year's EndNEW YORK—Cordiant Communications Group said Friday that Michael Bungey will step down as CEO at the end of the year, instead of at the end of the first quarter, as originally planned. He will cede the post to David Hearn, who became chairman and chief executive of CCG's Bates Worldwide last March. In September, Bungey announced his plans to resign at the end of the first quarter in 2003. CCG said its reorganization is nearly complete and, as a result, Bungey will relinquish the top spot at the company. He will continue as an executive director until March 31. A company representative said that Hearn will keep his Bates Worldwide title in addition to his CCG one, though sources have said that whoever accepts the post of Bates North American CEO could eventually assume worldwide duties. The agency hopes to conclude negotiations with the top candidate for the domestic post by year's end, sources said.

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