FCB and McCann to join NZ operations

McCann Erickson and Universal McCann New Zealand are set to join operations with Interpublic stablemate FCB by the end of the year. The move, triggered by McCann's poor market performance according to sources, will see McCann relocate into the same office as FCB in coming weeks. McCann Erickson managing director Glenda Wynyard will also depart to set up her own media agency, which will handle Universal's third party clients. The McCann brands will continue to exist, servicing global clients including Cathay Pacific, Coke and MasterCard, but it is understood they will be resourced and operated by FCB. "A merger is probably a strong word, but they're certainly moving in," said a McCann source. It is believed the move will result in a number of redundancies, although the exact figure has yet to be finalised.