Bank of America strikes key deal with WPP

WPP group has been hired to spearhead the Bank of America Merrill Lynch's bullish push into Asia, with The Brand Union to act as lead strategic adviser.The move comes as the merged Bank of America Merrill Lynch relocates key marketing roles to Asia, including global marketing chief Claire Huang, who moves from Boston to its Hong Kong office.At WPP Sarah Alspach will act as WPP Team Leader for Bank of America from The Brand Union's London office with Michael McComb, former head of brand planning at the Hong Kong Jockey Club, leading the team in Asia.McComb told Marketing that a Team WPP is currently being established for Bank of America Merrill Lynch.The Brand Union will be responsible for all aspects of strategic planning, design, to production, public relations, employee engagement and advertising.CSR is also expected to play a major role for the Bank of America Merrill Lynch as it eyes markets like China, Japan and India.This week, global marketing chief Claire Huang told The Wall Street Journal Asia CSR would help to cement its commitment to the region."Our partners and clients see that it shows we're really interested in their local culture, and it shows commitment to the country."Alan Couldrey, chief executive officer at The Brand Union Asia Pacific, added the account would be a big, but very interesting challenge.