HARROD & MIRLIN TAKEN OVER AGAIN
By Adnews Staff
Harrod & Mirlin is once more seeing if it can make a go of it as part of a larger company. Chicago-based True North Communications, parent of multinational ad agency Foote Cone & Belding (whose Canadian division is FCB Canada), announced yesterday that it has bought H&M. A release explains, "For Harrod & Mirlin, the decision to join the ranks of a global network is driven by the need to access multinational resources for a large multinational base." H&M clients include Nabisco Brands, Levi Strauss & Co., Quaker Oats, CPC Specialty Foods, Mead Johnson, Canadian Pacific Hotels, Corby Distilleries and Moosehead Breweries. The agency's 1995 billings were $42 million. H&M will also have access to True North's facilities in direct marketing, directory advertising, digital and interactive communications, and promotion and design. With the acquisition of H&M, True North gains "a great creative team" and also an agency that shares some clients, True north spokesman Owen Dougherty told Adnews. True North agencies work for Levis, Nabisco and Quaker. Former owners Ian Mirlin and Brian Harrod will continue to run the agency, which is to remain an independent operation. The longtime creative team sold their agency once before, to MacLaren McCann's parent, the New York-based Interpublic Group of Companies. However, that arrangement ended with Harrod & Mirlin buying their agency back in July, 1994.