Leo Burnett folds Emporio Asia under Shanghai ops, imports new talent

To streamline its digital and interactive offerings, Leo Burnett has completed the integration of its digital entity Emporio Asia into its main Shanghai operations.

Emporio Asia, acquired in May 2008, will no longer exist, with its clients folded under the wing of the parent agency to provide a ‘one-stop shop’.

“No matter what the discipline, our clients will work with the same people, the same creatives and the same management," said Stefan Petzinger, general manager of multinationals at Leo Burnett.

The structural change was partly a result of pure-play digital projects that have been developed, produced and managed for key clients such as Skoda and Jack & Jones.

Petzinger said a one-stop, idea-centric approach, rather than a "box-ticking 360 approach", has been applauded by existing clients and has also led to interest from new business prospects.

To prepare for these new business opportunities, Leo Burnett Shanghai separately imported Argentineans Federico Munichor (formerly of DDB and Ponce in Argentina) and Joaquin Maria Lynch Garay (formerly of DDB and Y&R in Argentina) as creative directors for Coca-Cola.

Singaporean Anthony Tham (formerly of O&M, Y&R and DDB in Singapore) has also joined as group creative director. On the account management side, Cherry Zhang, a former Burnetter, has returned to the agency as group account director for McDonald’s after a stint at McCann.