• August 1, 2007

Publicis Groupe this morning unveiled a reorganization of two of its top creative shops - Saatchi & Saatchi and Fallon - which will be aligned under a new "mini group structure," dubbed the SSF Group, that gives Saatchi top billing. Publicis said each agency will continue to operate separately and will remain stand alone brands, but the group will report to Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide CEO Kevin Roberts, while Fallon founder Pat Fallon will become chairman emeritus of Fallon Worldwide. The reorganization follows a difficult couple of years for Fallon, once the poster child for both creativity, as well as brand and media integration on Madison Avenue. Minneapolis-based Fallon shuttered its New York operations when the top management team of that office departed, and the agency has lost some of its flagship accounts and key executives. Publicis' media operations do not appear to have been affected by the restructuring. Saatchi & Saatchi is aligned with ZenithOptimedia Group, while Fallon has an integral media department that is closely aligned with Starcom MediaVest Group's Starlink unit.