Cogent restructure hits London operation

Cogent is closing its present London office in a complete restructure of its operations.

It is thought chairman Bill Husselby, who owns over 90 per cent of the company, is keen to reduce costs by consolidating the operation in its less costly Midlands office. Managing director John Wringe confirms the focus of the agency will be returning to the Midlands.

Redundancies will affect three administrative staff, and possibly one creative team that does not want to move to the Midlands, he says. The other four teams will relocate. He maintains the agency will keep a presence in London, but admits this may not be in its current Kensington premises.

However, London creative director Neil Anderson and a number of account executives are believed to be reviewing their options.

“We have been in danger of diluting senior management across the two offices,” he says. “So we have decided to merge them, at least in account handling terms. The change is minimal as far as clients are concerned,” says Wringe. “Most are based in the Midlands anyway.”

It is understood the RAC is reviewing its 6m advertising account at Cogent after group strategic marketing director Jan Smith took over.

The agency picked up the business in April, from the now defunct Woollams Moira Gaskin O’Malley.

A new campaign, launched in July, introduced the catchline: “It says you’ve arrived.”

The campaign was designed to counter the high profile of the AA, following its own successful “fourth emergency service” push, devised by HHCL & Partners.