The news that the suitor is Chime is interesting on several levels. First, it puts VCCP out of reach of any rival agency that might be interested in acquiring the talent or the client.
Second, it's also interesting that the agency is selling relatively early into its life (it is three years old).
There's a sense that the founders must feel they have gone as far as they can go as an independent operation. Are they less than confident they can grow well beyond O2, or that O2 is a stable medium-term client?
Chime, of course, will be doing careful due diligence.
But Chime's decision to try to get back into the above-the-line market is also telling; back on its feet after a rocky financial performance, it is well served in the below-the-line arena, where the industry's growth is. But Lord Bell is obviously confident the traditional creative shop still represents a sound investment.
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