News

End of an era as Publicis Groupe retires famous Australian agency brand Mojo in Sydney

The new team at Marcel

From Publicis Mojo to Marcel: staff and client roster moves to Marcel

Mojo Sydney – the celebrated agency brand that used Paul Hogan to bring the world to Australia – has been retired by holding group Publicis after nearly 40 years.

The agency’s remaining clients will be folded into Publicis’ global agency Marcel, which officially launches its Australian outpost today under the lead of David Nobay, the founder of new defunct agency brand Droga5 Sydney. Nobay brought with him the global Tiger Beer account and his agency’s most recent work prompted debate about an Australian agency marshalling a Singaporean brand.

The Mojo brand will continue to be used in Brisbane and Melbourne.

Mojo was once one of the world’s best known independent agencies after being formed by Alan Morris (Mo), who died in 2007,  and Allan Johnston (Jo) in 1979.

It was the home of some of the most famous – and ocker – Australian ad campaigns of the 1980s including helping turn around Kerry Packer’s ailing World Cricket series with ‘C’mon Aussie C’mon’ and Paul Hogan’s ‘Shrimp On the Barbie’ Tourism Australia campaign.

The folding of the Mojo operations into the new Marcel agency marks the long-rumoured restructure of the Sydney arm of the Publicis-branded business after a string of account losses, including Toyota, and a struggle to recapture its creative glory days.

At the end of last year respected executive creative director, Grant Rutherford, departed the agency, with creative Scott Huebscher joining Marcel from sister Publicis-owned agency, Leo Burnett Sydney, as ECD.

Marcel will take on the 50 Sydney staff from Mojo and sister digital agency Publicis Pusher and assume control of the agency’s existing clients including OPSM, Nestle, Tourism NT, Merial, Virgin Active, Kinder and AMEX.

Publicis Australia CEO, Andrew Baxter, said: “The launch of Marcel presents us with the opportunity to accelerate the evolution of our Sydney business and offers clients an entrepreneurial team with exceptional talent.

“With digital in the foundations of its capabilities the new Marcel is built with the next 10 years in mind.”

The news emerges as Publicis Groupe’s creative agencies in Singapore are also going through a period of significant change following the introduction of Publicis Communications, one of four divisions set up at group level to house the company’s ad agencies.

Leo Burnett Singapore’s CEO and chief creative officer Chris Chiu has left after just eight months, and Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore’s CEO Shannon Cullum is also to depart. They are leaving following the appointment of Publicis Worldwide Singapore boss Lou Dela Pena as head of Publicis Communications.

Simon Canning

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