MRM ditched as Omnicom bolsters Precision Marketing

MRM, the agency previously known as McCann Relationship Marketing, is the latest business to be “retired” in the UK and the US following Omnicom’s $13bn acquisition of IPG, as part of a shake up of the Precision Marketing division.

Most of the staff from MRM UK are reportedly moving over to Critical Mass, while those with advertising experience are moving to McCann. Meanwhile, in the US, most of MRM’s staff are moving to Rapp. Digital agency Tribal is also reportedly moving into Critical Mass as part of the post-merger integration.

The restructuring aims to integrate IPG’s “precision capabilities” with Omnicom’s existing scale, although the MRM brand will remain active in some smaller offices in other regions.

Late last month, Omnicom revealed a major escalation of its redundancy programme, with plans to double its annual cost-saving targets to $1.5bn (£1.1bn) over the next 30 months, signalling a major period of contraction for the group.

The move has coincided with significant leadership departures, including MRM UK CEO Nick Handel and Rapp UK CEO Gabrielle Ludzker.

The Omnicom Precision Marketing group was first created in 2017 to address what the holding company called “the growing demand for seamlessly integrated solutions and teams”.

The division, which reprised the name of the now defunct Centaur Media magazine, is part of the group’s Diversified Agency Services (DAS) network and initially included Proximity and Rapp, as well as their global networks, plus Targetbase, Javelin and Organic.

CEO Luke Taylor (pictured), the former DigitasLBi chief, has been CEO since its inception. The division now officially includes Rapp, Credera and Critical Mass.