Hasta La Creative!

Federal Trade Commission regulators last week cleared the Publicis Groupe and Omnicom Group merger in the U.S., laying to rest antitrust concerns over a combined group that would command more than 40% of U.S. media spending. But while the merger partners wait for approval in markets like Europe and China, they are hardly idle in their quest to meet a deal target of early next year. Beyond an earlier reported integration committee meeting that brought together top global executives from both holding companies in Miami, the frenemies seem to be aligning chess pieces in the areas of media, creative and digital.

Media

John Swift, president of integrated communications for Omnicom Media Group, the network that houses media shops OMD and PHD, was quietly elevated to the new role of CEO-president of North America investment. Chris Geraci oversees national broadcast for the agency network. At Starcom MediaVest Group and Zenith Optimedia — Publicis’ two media agency networks — investment is handled separately and is specific to individual agencies within each network. It’s unclear whether the joint media operations will form a GroupM-like structure housing the entire portfolio of agencies, with a single investment lead and a central buying hub.

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