Brian Harrod, executive vice-president and creative director of Harrod & Mirlin, confirms the Toronto agency has recently been courted by four agency groups but says reports of a merger remain a rumor.

Some of the proposals have involved outright purchase of the firm, but Harrod says h&m is really interested in forming an association with a u.s. agency.

Harrod says a proposition from fcb was appealing because its holding company, True North, is involved in building a network of creative agencies.

He says fcb’s interest may now be on the back burner because of the more pressing issue of its recent loss of the Colgate-Palmolive business worldwide.

Harrod says that whatever happens ‘the two most important things will be `Does it work for our clients and does it work for our people?’ ‘

h&m did have a u.s. affiliation until mid-1994 when it bought itself from New York-based Interpublic Group in 1987.

Harrod says h&m is missing out on new business opportunities and cites three recent Canadian pitches the agency took part in that went to other agencies because of their associations south of the border. PS