DAVID DROGA RESIGNS FROM PUBLICIS TO SET UP NEW VENTURE

David Droga, the Worldwide Chief Creative Officer of the Publicis network, has resigned to form a new venture set to start in the new year. Droga declined to provide any details about the new company or his partners other than to say they’re not from the advertising industry. It will be based in New York, where Droga will continue to live, and Los Angeles. “It’s not an advertising venture,” said Droga, “It’s a hybrid of a lot of things. I have a belief in this new model. I’m having a great career, but I’ve spent it working under other people’s models. I think I’d really like to lay down a blueprint of my own. I’d like to have some ownership of it, so there’s more at stake for myself and live or die by my own vision.” Droga plans to leave at the end of September, after finishing projects for Publicis clients that include Vault, Minute Maid and Heineken. Droga was selected two-and-a-half years ago to bolster the Paris-based network’s creative reputation. In that time, Publicis has dramatically improved its awards-show performance. In June, Publicis picked up 11 Cannes Lions and last year it netted 12 -- more than it had won in the previous decade. Droga has added a 17-member worldwide creative board and replaced leadership in several major markets. That has translated into some new-business success. Publicis in New York was recently awarded duties for Coca-Cola’s Vault, a citrus-flavored energy drink. The network’s Paris office was among eight shops invited to pitch creative ideas for a global integrated campaign. Client wins in that time include Zurich Financial Services, Sanofi-Aventis, TBS, and Allied Domecq. “I am extremely proud of what we have achieved at Publicis. We have not only established ourselves as a magnet for world-class creative talent. We have created a tight, collaborative creative culture. "Our Global Creative Board is at the center of this transformation. My mandate from the beginning was to transform the Publicis creative output and bolster the network for the future. Certainly, no network has redefined itself as much in such a condensed period of time. "Basically, I have reached a point in my career where I want to establish a blueprint for my own creative business. I am very excited about this new endeavour. But my first priority is to see through several large projects and ensure a smooth transition.” Further details of the new venture will be announced shortly.