McAspurn and Brookes out at Arc as control moves south to London
Joe McAspurn, managing director of Arc Marketing in Edinburgh, and Colin Brooks, creative director, have been made redundant from their posts as the company shifts control to London.
McAspurn has been with Arc for five and a half years. He joined the agency in its days as IMP, before global parent company D’Arcy took the decision to rebrand all of its below-the-line agencies under the Arc banner.
Both McAspurn and Brooks have been working on a freelance basis until they decide on a definite course of action moving forward.
McAspurn told The Drum: “I’m currently considering lots of options and enjoying spending some time with my family. I’ve got five or six options I’m looking at but I can’t go into details at the moment. At the moment it’s about taking some time out to relax.
“Without a doubt I enjoyed my time at Arc and I think I achieved quite a lot in terms of expanding the business and building a reputation in Edinburgh. But having been somewhere for five and a half years you do start wondering ‘how long am I going to be here?’ and you start thinking about leaving. Now is as good a time as ever.”
Industry speculation is already linking McAspurn with the vacant managing director’s position at rival Edinburgh below-the-line agency WWAV Rapp Collins Scotland, but McAspurn refused to be drawn on whether this position is one of those he is considering, saying: “I couldn’t comment on that at all.”
Arc has 42 offices throughout the world and a client list which includes Diageo, Coca Cola and Procter and Gamble.
Mike Spicer, managing director of Arc UK, was unavailable for comment on the restructure as The Drum went to press.