McCann-Erickson launches Olympic marketing group

O5 is designed as a one-stop shop, and will be headed by MD Bob Heussner, former head of General Motors' marketing events division, and Gary Pluchino, who was SVP at Momentum Worldwide's event marketing division.

Both Heussner and Pluchino have worked on Olympic sponsorships since the 1992 games. "We will be able to handle sponsorship negotiations, PR, brand management, event management, customer relations, and advertising for clients, said Heussner.

Other Interpublic companies involved are McCann-Erickson Advertising, Momentum Worldwide, FutureBrand, and MRM Partners Worldwide.

O5 plans to open offices in Athens and Milan by the end of 2002, and will open an office in Beijing in 2003, the respective sites of the 2004 Summer Games, 2006 Winter Games, and 2008 Summer Games.

This article was first published on PR Week USA