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Barraclough Hall Woolston Gray has confirmed that it is on the

brink of completing discussions with its parent group, BBDO, to set up a

jointly branded direct marketing agency in New York.

The talks, led by BHWG’s chief executive, Simon Hall, have been taking

place for a year and the intention is to provide a below-the-line

presence for BBDO’s clients in the US.

The agency’s title is expected to be BBDO BHWG (or vice versa) and will

be staffed by employees from both agencies who will initially work out

of BBDO’s offices.

BHWG is aiming to pull in some new business in the US before officially

opening its doors there. The agency has already approached existing BBDO

clients including Pepsi, Mars and Pizza Hut.

Chris Barraclough, the executive creative director of BHWG, explained:

’We have been talking to clients out there and finding out the scale of

their commitment.’

This will be the agency’s second venture outside the UK. An office was

set up in South Africa on the back of winning the database marketing

account for the ABSA Group.