Dentsu, the Japanese communications giant, is to rebrand its London agency and kill off CDP, once the most famous agency in Britain, as part of a bid to become a major player in the UK advertising market.
Now the Collett Dickenson Pearce name will disappear completely when cdptravissully is rechristened Dentsu London at the beginning of next year.
The decision coincides with the hiring of Fallon's Andy Lockley to take charge of the agency's creative department. Lockley succeeds Jonathan Drapes, who is returning to his native Australia to complete his second novel.
The London initiative is part of a wider plan by Dentsu to boost its profile in the global market, including rebranding its offices in the US and Europe. But it will result in the demise of CDP, once Britain's most glamorous and influential agency and creator of some of the most famous ad slogans of all time, including "Happiness is a cigar called Hamlet" and "Heineken refreshes the parts other beers cannot reach". The agency, which launch on April Fool's Day 1960, was acquired by Dentsu during the 90s.
Industry sources believe the rebranding will coincide with more European acquisitions by Dentsu. The main targets are likely to be marketing companies with links to its Toyota client. Last year, Dentsu America bought Attik, which launched the Toyota Scion in the US. Dentsu and Simon North, cdptravissully's chief executive, were unavailable for comment.
- To view some of CDP's best-known ads, visit www.brandrepublic.com/campaign
- Perspective, page 21.
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