The shift follows Uni-President’s abrupt dismissal of JWT in late 2006, after awarding the agency its Olympics branding project along with the accounts for four noodle brands.
The Interpublic Group offering now handles the Olympics project, plus all of the noodle brands.
Creative for the work will be driven by Canon Wu, chief creative director at Can Create, which was set up by McCann Worldgroup to focus specifically on the needs of local brands and entrepreneurs.
Public relations, meanwhile, will be handled by GolinHarris.
“China is a new world and we have to respect China’s needs,” explained Wu. “China needs quick creative solutions, so all the global games cannot play here.”
Can Create has also snared new business from Shanghai Pudong Development Bank and a local jobs portal in recent months.
“One-size-fits-all is not the answer,” McCann Worldgroup chairman and CEO John Dooner told Media.
“You have clients that have certain needs creatively, and this approach is very suited for local entrepreneurs.”
