Lowe merger not without problems

<p>The merger of the Lowe and Lintas groups in Asia-Pacific is almost </p><p>complete. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>However, while redundancies have been kept to a minimum, there have been </p><p>some major casualties. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Only in Singapore and Hong Kong did the two agencies have to physically </p><p>merge because they each had a presence in both markets. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In other Asian markets, both networks complemented each other to </p><p>increase their regional coverage. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The Singapore operation is now being run by Christopher Foo as chairman </p><p>and Palani Pillai as managing director. Both were former heads of Lowe & </p><p>Partners/Monsoon Advertising. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The most senior departures from the new set-up are Greg Paull and Nick </p><p>Fairhead. They were the managing director and head of creative </p><p>respectively at Ammirati Puris Lintas. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The merger in Hong Kong is still on-going, however, Lowe Lintas & </p><p>Partners Asia-Pacific chief executive officer Ronald Yue refused to be </p><p>drawn on whether Lowe personnel would also take charge in the SAR </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Hong Kong has begun a soft integration, however, our ultimate aim is to </p><p>look for maximum synergies. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"The main consolidation will occur primarily in the backroom such as in </p><p>finance, accounting and administration," he told MEDIA. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>However, he stressed that redundancies have been kept to a minimum </p><p>because there wasn't much duplication of resources across markets in the </p><p>region and there weren't many conflicting accounts to resolve. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"The number of people in the region we have had to let go is very </p><p>small. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"I believe, it's less than five per cent," said Mr Yue. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Last November, Lowe & Partners Worldwide combined with Interpublic's </p><p>Ammirati Puris Lintas to form a new global network called Lowe Lintas & </p><p>Partners Worldwide. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Mr Yue said the match was a "perfect fit" because Lintas provided a </p><p>strong global network, while Lowe provided a creative reputation. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>But despite the two agencies being bogged down in merger issues, Mr Yue </p><p>said the new network was still maintaining an "effective client-agency </p><p>partnership" and was still chasing new business. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Earlier this month, the agency won the global Merrill Lynch HSBC account </p><p>in a competitive pitch that reportedly included J. Walter Thompson and </p><p>Bates. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Mr Yue said: "The new Lowe Lintas group with its expanded network </p><p>coverage and its creative reputation helped to win the account." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Although the pitch took place in London, Mr Yue said that global </p><p>resources were deployed including from Japan and Australia to secure the </p><p>business. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>