Grey Global Group
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| Grey Global Group | |
| Type | Subsidiary, WPP Group |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1917 |
| Headquarters | New York, NY |
| Key people | James R. Heekin III Chairman & CEO |
| Industry | Marketing |
| Revenue | 1.307 billion USD (2003) |
| Employees | 6,500 |
| Slogan | One Group |
| Website | www.grey.com |
Grey Global Group is a New York City-based global advertising and marketing agency.
A unit of communications conglomerate WPP Group, Grey provides a full range of direct marketing, branding, public relations, interactive, advertising and promotional communication services through its subsidiaries Grey Worldwide, G2 , GCI Group, Grey Healthcare Group, MediaCom, Alliance, GWHIZ, and WINGLATINO.
Grey Worldwide, the advertising agency arm of Grey, has recently done tremendous work in turning around its previous, more "account-driven" reputation. In 2006, Grey was awarded 12 "Spots of the Week" by trade publication Advertising Age, which placed it second-highest overall, tying Omnicom's BBDO, and beaten only by Crispen Porter + Bogusky and TBWA/Chiat/Day. With appointment of world-renowned Tim Mellors as Chief Creative Officer , Grey is on track to becoming one of the best creative shops in the country.
[edit] History
Founded in 1917 by Larry Valenstein and Arthur Fatt, Grey Global began as a direct marketing company named Grey Studios, reflecting the color of the wall or its original quarters, changing to Grey Advertising in 1925.
In 1956, Grey acquired its first major client in the form of Procter & Gamble. Through the 1960s and 1970s, Grey continued to acquire big name clients and grow its presence into other communication fields.
In 2000, Grey Advertising became Grey Global Group. On March 7, 2005, WPP Group beat out Havas in a race to acquire Grey Global, which was the seventh largest advertising agency at the time for a buyout of approximately 1.3 billion USD.
