Dentsu is in advanced talks to merge its Manchester-headquartered performance media agency iProspect with London’s Vizeum to create a single media agency brand in the UK and Ireland.
Senior leadership at each agency has been interviewed to run the merged business, although a decision is yet to be made.
The process is being overseen by Dentsu Exective Director Hamish Nicklin, who joined this year, as part of a wider global restructure.
A spokesman for Dentsu told Prolific North: “At dentsu UK & Ireland, we are continually looking for ways to transform and simplify our business to deliver greater agility, speed to market and increased value for our clients.
“Our priority to make it easier for clients to access the best capabilities that dentsu has to offer. As part of this process, we are establishing a unified leadership team that operates across our leading performance media agency, iProspect, and our strategically-dynamic media agency, Vizeum.
“This will bring the complementary disciplines of the two brands closer together, providing clients with fully integrated expertise and services.”
A Dentsu spokesman said no decision had been made about whether the Vizeum brand would remain in the UK. The merger would save costs and also allow iProspect, which has clients including Diageo, Mondelez International and Specsavers, to have longer-term and more strategic relationships with brands.
The agency, which has about 600 staff, currently has two chief executives – Steve Buchanan for IProspect North (Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle) and James Bailey for iProspect South (London and Stafford).
Vizeum, led by chief executive Mike McCoy, has about 80 staff in the UK, with offices in London and Manchester.
