OPTIMUM CREATES MONSTER MEDIA BUYING GROUP
By Adnews Staff
Toronto-based Optimum Media Direction Worldwide announced yesterday the formation of an 800-pound gorilla in the jungle of media buying firms. As of the first of next year, all the media scale of the existing agency groups within Omnicom Canada will combine under the banner of a new Omnicom Canada division, to be called OMD Canada. Agencies involved include McKim Media Group/BBDO, TBWA/Chiat Day and DDB Group Canada. Harrison, Young Pesonen and Newell will also be "aligned" with the new entity. Total media billings for OMD Canada will top $900 million, making it the largest media operation in the nation, according to Optimum. Ann Boden, currently president of McKim, has been named president of OMD. "As the media environment becomes increasingly complex and fragmented, so do the challenges our clients face in reaching their audiences," she says. "OMD in Canada will give our clients maximum buying power and the tools and resources they need to get the best return from their advertising investment."