Universal McCann
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Advertising, Media |
| Predecessor | Erickson Company, McCann Erickson |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Area served | Worldwide (over 100 countries) |
Key people | Sasa Savic (head of media buying division), Yin Woon Rani (N.A. President) |
Number of employees | 3000+ |
| Parent | Interpublic Group (IPG) under IPG Mediabrands |
| Website | www |
Universal McCann (commonly abbreviated as UM) is a global media and advertising firm operating as part of the Interpublic Group under the IPG Mediabrands division. While some regional branches adopt the name Universal Media, the agency is predominantly recognized as UM.
History
Founded in 1999 within McCann Worldgroup, UM traces its roots back to 1902 with the establishment of Erickson Company by Alfred Erickson. In 1912, Harrison King McCann launched his own agency, which later merged with Erickson Company in 1930, resulting in McCann Erickson, a firm valued at $15 million. Securing influential clients such as Ford Motor Company in 1933 and Coca-Cola propelled McCann Erickson to become the first American agency to achieve over $100 million annually in television and radio billings by 1957.
Marion Harper, who took over as President-CEO in 1948, founded Interpublic Group in 1960, marking the inception of the first marketing services holding company. IPG went public in 1971 and led international billings outside the US by 1972. By 1993, McCann Erickson had risen to become the leading agency worldwide. The organization restructured in 1997 into McCann Worldgroup to integrate its various service offerings.
UM began operations in Australasia under the leadership of Murray Gardner and Rob Langtry and expanded globally within McCann Worldgroup as its media buying division, headed by Sasa Savic. In 2008, IPG established Mediabrands to manage its media agencies collectively and enhance cross-platform efficiency.
Currently, UM employs more than 3,000 professionals across upwards of 120 offices spanning over 100 countries. Its main headquarters is situated in New York City, complemented by six additional North American locations including Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco, and Toronto. The agency’s presence extends across Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. UM organizes its operations into clusters based on business characteristics rather than geographic proximity—dividing into three groups: North America, G14, and World Markets—facilitating uniform service delivery, centralized teams, and operational cost savings.
References
- UM Execs On Agency Universal McCann Turning Toward The Digital Future With Media 3.0 http://www.adexchanger.com/agencies/universal-mccann/
- Universal McCann Hires Yin Woon Rani as N.A. President http://adage.com/article/agency-news/universal-mccann-hires-yin-woon-rani-n-a-president/230645/
- Initiative and UM Embrace New World Order https://web.archive.org/web/20111101012712/http://umww.com/global/news/view?id=292
- Festival of Media Asia kicks off in Singapore http://www.bestmediainfo.com/2011/11/festival-of-media-asia-kicks-off-in-singapore/
- Women to Watch 2009: Jacki Kelley https://web.archive.org/web/20111101000022/http://umww.com/global/news/view?id=28
- Gregg Colvin SVP Digital, Interview