The work lost by D'Arcy is thought to be worth around $100m (拢70m) in billings. It was already hurt by Mars' decision last year to award Grey Worldwide the US and European creative work for Mars Bar, after 40 years with the agency.
Grey is just one agency tipped to be in the running for the Mars brands. Industry insiders say that Omnicom Group agencies based on the West Coast of the US -- where Uncle Ben's and Whiskas have their operations -- could also be in the race. These include Goodby, Silverstein & Partners and TBWA\Chiat\Day, which both have offices in San Francisco.
According to reports, a decision on the appointment will be made in as little as two weeks.
D'Arcy started working with Mars in 1932. However, since 2000, it has been steadily losing key brands in Mars' portfolio to other agencies. In 2000, it lost the Twix brand to Grey in Europe and the US. Last year, it lost the European work for Uncle Ben's to BBDO Worldwide, part of Omnicom, as well as Milky Way, which also went to Grey.
In March, D'Arcy's parent B|Com3, which also owns Leo Burnett, announced a $3bn (拢2.1bn) merger with Publicis Groupe of France.
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