Exclusive: Orbell Out From Publicis As Account Losses Mount

by Suzanne Bidlake, Promotions & Incentives 08-Mar-07, 12:35

Andrew Orbell, head of promotional marketing and brand director on the HP account, has been forced out of Publicis Dialog.

His exit coincides with a swathe of redundancies – thought to be around 50 – from the above-the-line Publicis agency, which has been hit with the loss of £90 million worth of business since December from MFI, Asda and the Post Office.

Publicis Dialog chairman Dennis Kerslake said Orbell’s departure was totally unrelated. HP, which spends $350 million on marketing through Publicis across EMEA, was simply “no longer prepared to fund someone at (Orbell’s) level,” he said. European centralisation within HP meant “the need for strategic input at a senior level on a local level was no longer there”.

Another sufficiently senior role could not be found for him at the agency, he added.

The loss of Orbell, who was unavailable for comment, reflected the agency’s lack of commitment to the sales promotion discipline, said one observer.

Kerslake admitted Publicis Dialog’s “roots are in direct marketing, for sure,” but denied the charge. The agency was keen to grow the proportion of its promotional business, he said.

“If you look at our clients like Procter & Gamble, L’Oreal, Coca-Cola, Nestle and Cadbury, they all think promotional marketing is important. The point is, we are operating holistically rather than in departments.” Orbell’s redundancy did not “herald a shift in structure particularly”.

Orbell joined Publicis Dialog three and a half years ago from Triangle. He ran the Allied Domecq business for two years before moving on to HP.

Agency CEO Simon Marshall will now oversee the HP account, supported by account directors.