His promotion ends the system under which the 40-strong department was run by Price and three other creative partners. Sue Little, the agency's chief executive, has opted for a single creative head to provide greater focus in the light of recent growth.
McCann recently won the creative assignment on the £5.6 million account of Aldi, the German discount retailer, but faces a repitch to retain its 15-year tenure of its £9 million Magnet business.
Little said: "As well as having an unprecedented record for delivering award-winning creative strategies, Dave has the leadership skills to enable us to further raise the quality of our creative product."
Price said his immediate priority was to retain Magnet. "We've given it good work over a long period and we have to prove we still have the sparkle for retail," he said. "Longer term, we have to keep the ship steady and moving forward."
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