GLOBAL BRIEF: DM9 succumbs to DDB’s offer - The Brazilian hotshop has found the perfect network partner, Emma Hall writes

Not many independent Brazilian agencies could claim to meet the

might of the DDB network ’eyeball to eyeball’, but DM9 Publicidade is

confident it will hold its own with DDB International, to which it has

just sold a majority stake (Campaign, last week).

In Brazil, nine is a lucky number, which is why the agency’s founder,

Duda Mendonca, tacked the digit on to the end of his initials when he

named the agency. Although Mendonca is long gone, the luck has remained,

largely carried by DM9’s president and creative guru, Nizan Guanaes.

Guanaes sees himself as a figure in the John Hegarty and David Abbott

mould - a claim which doesn’t seem so far-fetched when you look at the

work. DM9, the 11th most awarded agency at Cannes, remains the only

Brazilian shop to have won a Grand Prix, an accolade it gained in 1993

for a series of press ads for the soft drink, Antarctica Diet Guarana,

featuring well-toned, muscled stomachs. This year DM9 has high hopes for

a Levi’s campaign promoting the opening of a local store. It shows a

street map made out of the seams and rivets from a pair of jeans.

Along with creative excellence, DDB has bought into a cracking client

list, which includes Texaco, Electrolux, Honda and Budweiser. It was the

Budweiser connection that brought DDB and DM9 together. They have been

collaborating on the brand in Brazil, and developed what Guanaes calls a

’comfort level’ that persuaded DM9’s five partners to accept the DDB

offer, having turned down numerous others over the years.

DM9 was established in 1989 and attained sixth place in the Brazilian

rankings last year. Until last week, it was the second largest

independent agency in the country in terms of billings, but the size of

its creative reputation is unsurpassed in Latin America.

The deal looks good for both camps. As well as lots of cash, the

partners at DM9 expect the agency to benefit from the accelerated growth

and new-business opportunities that being part of a network bring. DDB,

meanwhile, has bought itself a strong presence in South America’s

largest market.

This article was first published on Campaign