BBDO BRINGS GLOBAL RELATIONSHIP MARKETING NETWORK TO CANADA
By Adnews Staff
BBDO Canada opened the doors of the first North American member of its global relationship marketing network yesterday. Toronto-based Proximity Canada will be headed by former BBDO Response executive vice president and managing director Sarah Simpson. Proximity Canada replaces BBDO Response, the former direct marketing arm of BBDO. Simpson called Proximity the next generation of BBDO Response. The agency will create and nurture brand relationships for clients, she said, combining the direct marketing, interactive marketing and data mining practices under one roof. Simpson is joined by executive vice president and creative director Michael McGovern and vice president of consumer analytics Richard Peake. McGovern was previously at Yates Advertising in San Francisco where he held the top creative role. Peake comes from Sprint Canada where he was responsible for database marketing and customer loyalty initiatives. Proximity Canada will operate offices in Montreal and Vancouver as well as in Toronto. Currently the Proximity network operates 49 offices in 18 countries.