17224: Fast Food, Fast Moves, Not-So-Fast Progress.

 

Advertising Age reported Yum! Brands shifted Taco Bell and Pizza Hut assignments across its roster of White advertising agencies. The fast-food corporation regularly moves account work, seeking sales increases that no shop seems capable of sustaining.

 

Perhaps Americanized tacos and pizza simply aren’t appealing.

 

“We are partnering with VML to consolidate our TV creative alongside social, CRM, and loyalty as a strategic imperative essential to our brand growth agenda,” stated Pizza Hut’s U.S. Chief Marketing Officer. “We are laser-focused on selling pizza and wings while feeding good times and connecting people through the joy of pizza. To truly own that space, it’s critical that, in partnership with VML, we deliver a cohesive, integrated, and consistent experience across every consumer touchpoint.”

 

The statement deserves a single-word response: Yuck!

 

Big creative agency changes at Yum Brands—Deutsch gets a smaller role with Taco Bell and VML wins Pizza Hut

 

By Brian Bonilla, Erika Wheless, and Ewan Larkin

 

Yum Brands is making key agency changes for two of its biggest brands—Taco Bell and Pizza Hut—diminishing Deutsch’s creative role on Taco Bell and removing the agency from the pizza chain’s roster.

 

Pizza Hut confirmed to Ad Age that it has consolidated all of its U.S. creative duties with VML. Interpublic Group of Cos.’ Deutsch had been named the pizza chain’s lead creative agency last year.

 

“We are partnering with VML to consolidate our TV creative alongside social, CRM, and loyalty as a strategic imperative essential to our brand growth agenda,” Melissa Friebe, Pizza Hut’s U.S. chief marketing officer, wrote in a statement. “We are laser-focused on selling pizza and wings while feeding good times and connecting people through the joy of pizza. To truly own that space, it’s critical that, in partnership with VML, we deliver a cohesive, integrated, and consistent experience across every consumer touchpoint.”

 

WPP’s VML was initially added to the Pizza Hut roster last year to handle customer promotions, loyalty and CRM efforts.

 

Deutsch was hired by Pizza Hut in November 2024 after the agency successfully rolled out its “Sorry, Chicago” campaign for the chain’s Chicago tavern-style pizza.

 

VML referred the comments to the client. Deutsch didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment.

 

Changes at Taco Bell

 

Deutsch’s role with Taco Bell is also shrinking, according to three sources close to the situation.

 

Taco Bell did not confirm or deny roster changes, commenting: “Across the globe, Taco Bell taps a wide network of agencies that includes Deutsch, Biite, Edelman, Wasserman, Spark, and The Syndicate to bring its creative vision to life. At times, the brand also draws on specialized partners with specific expertise for special assignments or projects.”

 

In an earlier interview, Taylor Montgomery, Taco Bell’s global chief brand officer and former U.S. CMO, told Ad Age that the brand was looking to “make sure that some of the key brand narrative—our brand equity and positioning and our brand design—is all coming from a very consistent place. And that’s a combination of our partners at Deutsch and then our internal creative agency.”

 

Deutsch’s remit is currently unclear and the agency did not return multiple requests for comment.

 

Food culture agency Biite has become a “main agency” within the Taco Bell roster, Guto Araki, Biite’s founder told Ad Age. Biite has been taking on more of Taco Bell’s business over the last two years that had earlier been handled by Deutsch. Just last week, Biite launched a campaign introducing the chain’s new crispy chicken menu.

 

The agency was behind the 2024 “Live Más Live,” Taco Bell’s first tech-style keynote, and produced this year’s Taco Bell Super Bowl ad that featured its fans in drive-thrus.

 

Notably, Araki worked with Deutsch (then known as Deutsch LA) in multiple lead creative roles from 2015 to 2022. He also worked on Taco Bell’s first global campaign in 2021.

 

The moves mark the latest agency changes made by Yum Brands. Its largest chain, KFC, shifted to an agency roster approach in 2024, adding Highdive, which has been behind that chain’s latest work, including its chicken tender battle and a recent spot featuring an angry Colonel Sanders. IPG agency MullenLowe had previously handled KFC’s U.S. creative.

 

The shifts come as Taco Bell and Pizza Hut look to grow internationally and draw back consumers, respectively.

 

Taco Bell has been a bright spot in a fast-food environment where consumers are cutting back on dining out. The chain reported its U.S. same-store sales were up 4% in the second quarter. Taco Bell is currently rounding out its Decades Menu, which has brought back favorites from previous years, with menus today featuring items from the early 2000s.

 

In his interview, Montgomery said that in 2026 the chain is planning to highlight more occasions where it can show up for consumers, as well as continuing to focus on crispy chicken and its drink concept, Live Más Café. Taco Bell is also looking to nearly double its number of international locations to 3,000 by 2030.

 

Sibling brand Pizza Hut has been struggling in the pizza category, with second-quarter same-store sales down 5% in the U.S., pacing well behind rivals Domino’s (up 3.4%) and Papa Johns (up 1% in North America). Friebe—who came to Pizza Hut after many years at Taco Bell—has been with the pizza brand for a little over a year.

 

Pizza Hut recently rolled out a new all-red logo featuring oozing Zs, a look that divided designers; current ads are for the brand’s personal Flatzz pizzas and its Big Dinner Box to feed a crowd.

16872: Pizza Hut, Hut, Hike, Er, Punt!

 

Advertising Age reported Pizza Hut hired—or technically rehired—White advertising agencies, tapping Deutsch and VML for creative and customer marketing duties, respectively.

 

The moves coincide with Global Chief Brand Officer and US Chief Marketing Officer re-appointments at Pizza Hut.

 

The recycling revolving-door routine is sure to rerun ruinous results.

 

Has anyone considered simply improving the pizza?

 

Pizza Hut Hires Deutsch and VML In Agency Roster Shakeup

 

Agency changes come as the chain looks to rebound from a sales slump and reach new audiences

 

By Ewan Larkin

 

In a revamp of its agency roster, Pizza Hut has hired Interpublic Group of Cos.’ Deutsch and WPP’s VML to oversee creative and customer marketing, respectively. 

 

Deutsch will manage brand strategy and creative, assuming responsibilities previously held by GSD&M. In August, Pizza Hut parted ways with the Omnicom-owned agency, bringing to an end a relationship that had spanned six years. Deutsch’s remit will include paid social and video content, according to Pizza Hut. 

 

The appointment reunites Deutsch and Pizza Hut. The two worked together from 2014 to 2016, before Droga5 won the business. Deutsch, which picked up a project for Pizza Hut (below) before nabbing the full account, is also the lead agency for Yum Brands sibling Taco Bell. It won the Pizza Hut business without a formal review, as did VML.

 

VML, which has also previously worked with Pizza Hut, will oversee customer promotions, loyalty and CRM efforts, and digital assets. It’s a new role on the roster, designed to “further invest in the full digital consumer journey,” the chain told Ad Age.

 

The WPP agency will also handle organic social, taking away some work from ​​Mischief @ No Fixed Address, which was named social agency of record in November 2023. Pizza Hut confirmed that Mischief will no longer handle social, but added it will continue to tap the agency as a “valuable partner for earned buzz work.”

 

Mischief’s work for the chain has included campaigns such as “ResZAmes” and the “Personal Pan Pizza Hut.” The indie agency referred calls to comment to the client.

 

Pizza Hut will continue to work with Alison Brod Marketing + Communications for U.S. PR and Publicis Groupe’s Spark Foundry for media, it confirmed. The brand also works with RQ for influencer marketing and Tracey Locke for shopper marketing.

 

Pizza Hut had U.S. measured-media spending of $99 million in the first two quarters of 2024, according to data from MediaRadar, down 21.2% from the same period in 2023. The company spent $234 million on U.S. measured media for all of 2023, MediaRadar reported. 

 

The brand has made marketing leadership changes this year, including naming former PepsiCo executive Kalen Thornton as global chief brand officer. It also appointed Melissa Friebe as U.S. chief marketing officer. Friebe joined after nearly three decades at Taco Bell, most recently as chief brand strategy officer. 

 

Bringing on Deutsch and VML “signals the priority we place on creative work and customer engagement strategies,” Friebe said in a statement. The agencies will work together to drive a “new era of growth,” according to Pizza Hut, which in August told Ad Age it was focused on “modernizing the brand and reaching new audiences.”

 

The agency changes come as Pizza Hut has struggled to attract consumers. The chain’s U.S. same-store sales were down 1% for the third quarter ended Sept. 30, while Taco Bell reported that U.S. same-store sales were up 4%. Competitor Domino’s U.S. same-store sales were up 3% for the same period, while Papa Johns’ North America comparable sales were down 6%.

 

Other Yum Brands brands have made agency changes in recent months. In September, KFC moved to an agency roster model for its U.S. creative business, removing IPG’s MullenLowe as its lead shop. 

 

Contributing: Erika Wheless and E.J. Schultz

16792: Rebranding, Renaming, And Revolting Rhetoric At Deutsch.

 

Deutsch LA has dropped the location initials, officially rebranding to Deutsch.

 

Whoop-dee-damn-deutsch—or douche.

 

The self-promotional hype appearing below includes one statement warranting commentary: “Deutsch’s rebrand highlights the importance of diversity and individuality, both within the agency and throughout Los Angeles.”

 

First, don’t forget how the LA-based White advertising agency’s New York sister shop—which was sold off by IPG earlier this year—reportedly decided it “was no longer going to invest in diversity” in 2016. The Deutsch New York decision was underscored with the termination of its Chief Diversity Officer.

 

Second, the former Deutsch LA probably chose to reinvest as a performative response to the Black Lives Matter movement, jumping on the DEIBA+ bandwagon around 2020. The date coincides with launching the Blackness in Full Bloom heat shield, which is now extending to support Hispanic vendors too. Guess they’ll have to rebrand and/or rename the program to integrate brown. The inevitable addition of Asian Americans, Native Americans, and LGBTQIA+ Americans would further complicate matters, especially since the latter group has already adopted rainbow colors.

 

Finally, “the importance of diversity and individuality” at Deutsch is nothing more than a pathetic attempt to rebrand systemic racism. It’s Bullshit in Full Boom.

 

Here’s the Deutsch self-promotional hype:

 

Deutsch LA has officially rebranded to Deutsch, marking a pivotal new era for the agency. With the center of gravity shifting west, Deutsch’s long-time Los Angeles leaders now become the sole name bearers and stewards for the brand.

 

“We are a company that has a history of reinventing itself because it’s just who we are. We are never satisfied. We started as an offshoot with a hunger to prove ourselves—and we’ve never stopped asking ‘Why not us?’ From being the first agency to pre-release a Super Bowl ad to crafting the first-to-market brand partnership with OpenAI, at Deutsch, we think like entrepreneurs and take immense pride in our legacy of ‘firsts’. We don’t know what’s next but we’re ready for it. This rebrand positions us with future big swings in mind,” said Kim Getty, CEO of Deutsch.

 

As Deutsch moves forward, it’s not just about reflecting on its storied past, but also about what comes next. In tandem with its rebrand, Deutsch will expand its entrepreneurial brand-building program, Blackness in Full Bloom, to include local Hispanic founders. Having already helped over 30 Black-owned businesses since its inception, and recently teaming up with Pharrell Williams’ non-profit, Black Ambition, the program is committed to growing Los Angeles’ entrepreneurial community.

 

“We’re committed to pioneering in and beyond our industry, building on that same innovative energy and West Coast optimism. We might be dropping the ‘LA’ from our name, but the spirit of the city continues to be a source of inspiration for Deutsch,” said Karen Costello, Creative Chair of Deutsch.

 

Deutsch’s rebrand highlights the importance of diversity and individuality, both within the agency and throughout Los Angeles. The agency’s new visual brand identity is deeply connected to the cultural tapestry that makes up the city. It blends mixed-media, texture, color, language, code and art. Key brand elements include an “LA” logo that collapses into the new “Deutsch,” and unique AI-generated personal monikers that weave the agency’s logo together with the “D” for each employee.

 

“Deutsch’s new visual identity nods to our past and connects us to the future with a common thread. The new logo and font boast fluidity from letter to letter, akin to the script and graffiti that fill the streets of Los Angeles. Deutsch’s new vibrant expression reminds us to stay flexible, optimistic, and to champion each other's differences,” said Deutsch’s Chief Design Officer, Adhemas Batista.

16498: Puzzling Poop From IPG And Its Affiliates.

 

Advertising Age published a lengthy report featuring more analysis on the IPG fire sale of Hill Holliday and Deutsch New York to Attivo Group. At least two excerpts warrant commentary.

 

Here’s Excerpt 1:

 

“IPG regularly reviews its portfolio to look for opportunities to simplify its structure and better orient the company to areas of growth,” a spokesman for IPG told Ad Age. “While DNY and Hill Holliday continue to deliver value and creativity for brands, their areas of expertise duplicated existing assets within the holding company.”

 

This point was pondered by another pundit. Can’t help but note it’s a pile of bullshit. Since the beginning, White holding companies have taken advantage of the sameness of White advertising agencies within networks, offering up replacement shops when clients expressed unhappiness.

 

For example, after USAA fired IPG shop Campbell Ewald for being racist, the client ultimately picked another White advertising agency within the IPG global outhouse. Don’t think for a nanosecond that IPG did not serve up droves of duplicate dumpsters.

 

Here’s Excerpt 2:

 

Both [Deutsch New York CEO Val] DiFebo and [Hill Holliday CEO Chris] Wallrapp said the Attivo acquisition will allow the shops to invest in new and growing capabilities. In particular, DiFebo said Deutsch NY will be looking to grow its graphic and design expertise. Wallrapp said Hill Holliday is looking to invest more in media and data and analytics.

 

Um, wasn’t access to greater resources a key benefit of being in a White holding company—so why are Deutsch NY and Hill Holliday eager to expand their capabilities? Plus, if these shops were deemed to have duplicate areas of expertise, won’t that pose a duplicate problem for Attivo Group?

 

Finally, there’s one area of interest where neither shop cares to invest: DE&I. Deutsch NY has already gone on record regarding the topic. Hill Holliday arguably made a failed investment. Both shops have demonstrated an abject lack of success with investing at all—so Attivo Group better think twice before providing any type of financial support.

 

Inside IPG’s sale of Deutsch New York and Hill Holliday—and what ad experts think of the move

 

IPG selling two of its legacy agencies to Attivo Group could spur other holding companies to follow suit

 

By Brian Bonilla and Lindsay Rittenhouse

 

The new year started with a surprise yesterday when Interpublic Group of Cos. announced it was selling two of its creative agencies, Deutsch New York and Hill Holliday, to Auckland, New Zealand-based global marketing services company Attivo Group.

 

Although the move is the latest in a slew of acquisitions and mergers within the ad industry over the past year, it’s still relatively rare for a holding company to sell two legacy agencies.

 

Most of the mergers and acquisitions to date have come from independents: Gut, L&C NYC, Majority, Movers+Shakers, and Uncommon all sold various stakes of their agencies last year. Brainlabs and Barkley accepted investments from private equity firms last year, and Stagwell sold its healthcare marketing agency ConcentricLife to Accenture.

 

What makes IPG’s move stand out further is that it’s unwinding two agencies it has held for more than two decades. Industry insiders believe that it could signal a bigger trend of holding companies selling underperforming assets—and that the buyers will increasingly come from outside of the traditional agency realm.

 

“To be competitive, [IPG has] to find efficiencies,” said Sasha Martens, industry recruiter and president at talent firm Sasha the Mensch. “It wouldn’t surprise me to see more companies sold off.”

 

“It speaks volumes that IPG valued the immediate payoff higher than they did the ongoing asset,” said Steve Boehler, founder of consultancy Mercer Island Group.

 

Given that the buyer came from an unexpected place—a global consultancy in New Zealand—another industry executive predicted more unconventional acquirers would follow. “It’s going to be an interesting year,” he said.

 

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

 

Why sell

 

In IPG’s latest earnings call in October, CEO Philippe Krakowsky alluded to several underperforming parts of its business, including its digital shops R/GA and Huge. IPG’s Integrated Advertising and Creativity-Led Solutions segment, which includes all its creative agencies, decreased by 4.1% organically in the third quarter.

 

“IPG regularly reviews its portfolio to look for opportunities to simplify its structure and better orient the company to areas of growth,” a spokesman for IPG told Ad Age. “While DNY and Hill Holliday continue to deliver value and creativity for brands, their areas of expertise duplicated existing assets within the holding company.”

 

The headwinds that have battered agencies in recent years—capricious clients, rising reviews, a rocky new-business environment, margin pressures and more—are forcing a divest-versus-build approach, said one industry executive. Holding companies “are neutral,” said a former Deutsch executive who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “They are there to count the money.”

 

“Holding companies went through such a spree, it’s likely we will see more divestment like this [referring to the Hill Holliday and DNY acquisition] or else consolidation as WPP and Dentsu have been doing,” said Greg Paull, principal of consultancy R3.

 

But Matt Ryan, CEO of consultancy Roth Ryan Hayes, said there is still untapped potential in creative agencies, which is why he isn’t surprised to see private equity firms show more interest in the advertising space.

 

“It’s kind of a fallacy that there are too many agencies out there that are losing money, and the reason is simple: If they were losing money, they’d have to close,” Ryan said. “The truth is more in that the agencies are getting smaller or they have flat to little growth so they’re not really appealing from a public company standpoint.”

 

Paull predicts that Havas could be the next shop to be spun off; in December, Bloomberg News reported that French billionaire Vincent Bolloré was weighing a breakup of his holding company Vivendi. (Havas did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)

 

“It’s not hard to create a potential list. Just take a look at the smaller agency brands that are still in existence at some holding companies,” said Boehler, who declined to name them.

 

Business losses

 

Deutsch NY hasn’t made the same strides as its LA counterpart since Deutsch was split into two entities in 2020. At one point, the New York office counted Anheuser-Busch InBev, Reebok and Microsoft among its clients.

 

Deutsch New York CEO Val DiFebo, who will remain in her position, admitted that the agency isn’t at its peak. In October the agency set plans to lay off an estimated 19% of its staff at the beginning of 2024.

 

“Losing our PNC business last year definitely set us back,” DiFebo said. “And it’s really unfortunate that that happened because at the same time we were winning lots of pieces of business. We probably won five or six pieces of business at the same time that PNC was migrating out the door.”

 

In 2023, Deutsch New York won business with Dr. Praeger’s, Simple Mills and Kenvue’s Band-Aid brand. Its other clients include Galderma, Lactaid and Betway. In June, PNC Bank selected Arnold Worldwide as its integrated marketing and creative agency of record.

 

“Once Deutsch lost PNC, which was 60% of their revenue, there was no business left,” the former Deutsch executive said, noting that smaller account wins couldn’t “keep the infrastructure in place” following that loss. The agency denied PNC accounted for that much revenue but declined to specify an exact figure.

 

“I would say we have a ton of momentum right now, but we’re not at our peak,” DiFebo said.

 

Hill Holliday CEO Chris Wallrapp, who will also remain in the role, also pushed back on the notion that the agencies were sold due to underperformance within IPG.

 

“The entire industry has been up and down, and the way that we approached even going into the pandemic, and last year we ended strong with two new client wins,” he said. “We’ve seen strong organic growth across the board on our current clients. And so I’m really happy with the steady growth that we’ve been able to provide the agency in our business.”

 

Both DiFebo and Wallrap said the Attivo acquisition will allow the shops to invest in new and growing capabilities. In particular, DiFebo said Deutsch NY will be looking to grow its graphic and design expertise. Wallrapp said Hill Holliday is looking to invest more in media and data and analytics.

 

From family to affiliates

 

The two agencies will maintain an affiliate status with IPG, which means they can utilize the holding company’s other agencies and resources. One major benefit of this is less pressure around working with conflicting clients.

 

“There have been times where we’ve wanted to pitch something and [IPG] was like, ‘Yeah, sorry, IPG has a healthcare brand in that space, or IPG has a beauty brand,’ but because we’re not part of the same network, we will now be able to pursue some of those things,” DiFebo said.

 

“It allows more flexibility, unique strategic approaches on how we can work with our clients and how we can attract new clients. “I do think there is a nimbleness to working with a privately held independent holding company,” Wallrapp added.

 

While flexibility could certainly be a benefit, the new structure could be confusing at first glance.

 

“This agency complexity should not be made to be the client’s problem. And this deal between IPG and Attivo Group is nothing if not complex and confusing,” said Jay Pattisall, VP and principal analyst at Forrester. “How can marketing executives be expected to keep all this straight? In a market where clients are asking for streamlined partner solutions, where nearly a third of new business reviews result in consolidation, I can’t quite put my finger on the logic.”

 

Deutsch vs. Deutsch

 

Another point of potential confusion could be Deutsch’s name, which now exists within both IPG and Attivo. (Deutsch LA will remain part of IPG; similarly, IPG is retaining Hill Holliday Health).

 

A memo sent out by Deutsch LA CEO Kim Getty yesterday to the agency’s staff referred to the New York office as “DNY” rather than Deutsch. “I’m coming to you with an update which you will see later this morning in the news, that DNY (formerly Deutsch New York) is being sold by IPG,” Getty wrote in her memo. “As you know, it has been over three years since Deutsch LA officially split from DNY, so this move as relates to DNY is a natural progression for IPG in that process. “Since we separated from NY, we’ve honed our own path forward and thrived at a time when other independent creative agencies have struggled to find their footing.”

 

Deutsch New York can continue using the Deutsch New York name until the end of the year, according to IPG.

 

“A lot of our clients hired an iconic agency called Deutsch, and so for us to just change our names today would be kind of crazy,” DiFebo said, noting that many clients already refer to it as DNY. “For right now, I think we’re just going to stay with what we have.”

 

Donny Deutsch, chairman emeritus of the agency his father David Deutsch founded in 1969, could not be reached for comment.

 

Next steps

 

Attivo founder Cam Murchison declined an interview, but DiFebo and Wallrapp said the company will likely make further investments in the U.S. DiFebo said Murchison’s ambition is to be a “stronghold” in the country. Yesterday’s acquisition marked Attivo’s first investment in the U.S.

 

“We are living through a hugely disruptive period of global change, and in change there is opportunity,” Murchison said in a statement. “We will move fast and quietly on that journey.”

 

For now the two agencies are focused on keeping their employees informed and transitioning to a new ownership. DiFebo said Deutsch New York will move from an office space it shared with The Martin Agency, MullenLowe and Cambell Ewald, to a new space that is leased by IPG. Hill Holiday’s New York office will also reside in the new space. (Hill Holiday is based in Boston.)

 

Industry observers said the sale to Attivo could benefit both agencies.

 

“The holding companies have put their emphasis on a handful of very large brands and in many cases have not adequately supported their mid-sized brands,” Boehler said. “Agencies like Hill Holiday and Deutsch NY will have a chance to better market themselves away from [IPG]. We’ll see if they can.”

 

Contributing: Aleda Stam

16494: Pruning Portfolios, Expelling Excrement.

 

MediaPost Mediapsssst columnist Richard Whitman opined on IPG selling White advertising agencies Hill Holliday and Deutsch New York to Attivo Group, pointing out how White holding companies routinely “prune their portfolios” of enterprises whose capabilities “are duplicated at other shops within the company.”

 

Um, doesn’t that notion apply to virtually every White advertising agency in every White holding company? As this blog regularly rants, holding companies fueled a commoditization of talent and services, whereby all people and places are indistinguishable, interchangeable, and replaceable—malleable muck to be manipulated, merged, and merchandised for any money-generating marketer.

 

This latest scheme broke up a bundled brand whose website boasts “operating independently since 2020.” Okay, but a sister shop just got sold off by the global human trafficker.

 

In Adland, prunes produce bullshit.

 

 

Why IPG Is Selling Hill Holliday and Deutsch NY

 

By Richard Whitman, Columnist

 

I was reminded earlier today after word that Interpublic announced the sale of Hill Holliday and Deutsch New York that all of the holding companies prune their portfolios from time to time to keep assets aligned with current growth strategies.

 

That’s essentially why IPG is selling. HH’s and DNY’s capabilities—good as they are—are duplicated at other shops within the company.

 

And it’s no secret that neither was leading the charge profit-wise at the holding company. CEO Philippe Krakowsky said as much during a Q3 2023 earnings call when he noted that “decreases among tech & telecom sector clients and a more cautious macroeconomic environment continued to weigh on our performance, notably at our digital specialists and most of our creatively led agencies.”

 

As to growth drivers, he added, “We had strong growth at our media offerings, followed by increases at our Sports and Entertainment, Experiential and Public Relations disciplines.”

 

What’s striking about the HH and Deutsch NY sales is that they are so well known. But they’re just the latest U.S.-focused agencies that IPG has sold in recent years.

 

In 2020 Dave Fitzgerald bought back the Atlanta-based agency he founded thirty-some years ago, Fitzgerald & Co. IPG owned it for two decades.

 

LA-based Dailey Agency bought itself back from IPG in 2017 as did Dallas-based TM that same year.

 

Both Fitz and Dailey are still going strong although sadly TM shut its doors a few years back after a number of client losses.

 

IPG still has a number of agencies that do business primarily in the U.S. including Deutsch LA, The Martin Agency, AF&G, Campbell Ewald, Carmichael Lynch and EP + Co.

 

Are they potential candidates for divestiture? My guess would be some but not all. I think it’s a safe bet the firm will be hanging on to its global networks, including FCB, MullenLowe and McCann.

16492: IPG $$$ WTF.

 

MediaPost reported IPG sold two White advertising agencies—Hill Holliday and Deutsch New York—to Attivo Group, a White marketing services group with offices across Australia and New Zealand.

 

The scenario underscores a lot of peculiarities with White holding companies and the industry overall. For example, Deutsch New York was sold, but Deutsch LA stays in the IPG outhouse. Who gets stuck with Donny?

 

Both shops in the sale retain their respective leadership and remain affiliates of IPG. Of course, much will change once redundancies are identified and sorted out.

 

Employees in all three enterprises can expect to experience more bouncing than a kangaroo—and more annoyance than the Qantas Koala.

 

IPG Sells Hill Holliday, Deutsch NY to New Zealand Marketing Group Attivo

 

By Steve McClellan

 

Interpublic has sold two of its longstanding iconic agency brands—Hill Holliday and Deutsch New York—to Aukland, New Zealand-based Attivo Group, the firm’s announced Wednesday. Financial terms were not disclosed. The deals mark Attivo's expansion into the U.S.

 

Both agencies will continue to operate with their current leadership, under their own brands, and each agency will maintain an affiliate relationship with Interpublic Group (IPG), “with ongoing access to many of the holding company’s resources,” the firms stated in a press release announcing the deal.

 

Going forward, the agencies will also draw on the “leadership, expanded resources and capabilities of Attivo,” per the announcement.

 

Launched in 2020, Attivo is headed by Cam Murchison and owns a number of communications and marketing agencies. With a longstanding relationship with IPG, Attivo most recently acquired IPG’s Australia’s 303 MullenLowe, and invested in Mediahub Australia in 2021.

 

Attivo also owns Harvey Cameron, Farrimond, Gorilla Studios, Rhubarb Lane and Rainmakers.

 

“We’re incredibly excited to have Hill Holliday and DNY join the Attivo family” stated Murchison. “Both are world-class agencies with amazing pedigrees that have made a tremendously positive impact on the communications landscape in the U.S.” said Attivo Group CEO Cam Murchison.

 

He added that both agencies “have many iconic brands with decades-long relationships as testament to their singular focus on client success. The outstanding leaders at both agencies have a strong desire to further grow their businesses and share Attivo’s entrepreneurial spirit and challenger mindset.”

 

Added IPG CEO Philippe Krakowsky, “We’re excited for Cam and his team at Attivo to move Hill Holliday and DNY forward, with affiliate relationships to IPG. Attivo is a trusted partner with whom we have successfully managed affiliate relationships over the years in other world regions.”

 

Krakowsky noted that Deutsch LA, which has operated separately from Deutsch New York since 2020, is not part of the deal.

 

“Hill Holliday was founded by four bold-thinking, ground breaking entrepreneurs,” stated agency CEO Chris Wallrapp. “Today, we embody their spirit and mindset as the agency embarks on a new chapter in our 55-year legacy of building iconic brands.”

 

Wallrapp added, “Attivo’s investment in Hill Holliday’s future gives our agency and employees tools to innovate, unique flexibility in how we grow our business and strategic advantages for our clients. At a time of uncertainty for many well-known agency brands, this move is also a strong vote of confidence in the power and endurance of the Hill Holliday name.”

 

Deutsch New York CEO Val DiFebo added, “We are thrilled to be one of the pioneer agencies that will benefit from Attivo’s investment in our talent and our future... We see this as the best of both worlds as we become part of a new start-up, and still maintain our association with IPG, now as an affiliate.”