It is understood Omnicom and IPG were especially keen to dispel the idea that a client might invite only one of the groups to take part in an account review during this interim period and to send out a "business as usual" message. The companies also talked up the importance of agency brands, rather than collapsing them, as some rivals such as WPP have done. Troy Ruhanen, the global chief executive of Omnicom Advertising Group, an umbrella unit for all of Omnicom's creative agencies, and Daryl Simm, COO of Omnicom, were among the senior global leaders who were in attendance in Bankside. Will Hamilton, founding partner of Hamilton Associates, a pitch consultancy, gave a positive assessment after seeing the presentation. "The merger of Omnicom and IPG is both ambitious and exciting," he said. "Subject to all the regulatory approvals, it could change the agency landscape for the next 30 years, unleashing the joined-up creative and tech potential of both companies."