The World: Berlin to be sole leader of WPP's United

[london] Andy Berlin will take sole charge of WPP Group's Voluntarily United Group of Agencies with the departure at the end of May of President Amanda Walsh from the pared-down group of agencies. Mr. Berlin is United's global chairman-CEO. He is based in New York, where he is chairman of Berlin Cameron, but has been spending a lot of time in London. Six of the nine remaining United agencies are based in Europe. Ms. Walsh joined United's precursor, Red Cell, in 2004 when it was made up of 62 agencies. This number has since been cut to nine offices as WPP sought to create a competitor to agencies with micro-networks such as Bartle, Bogle, Hegarty; Wieden & Kennedy; and Fallon Worldwide. "You don't need two chief executives to run a micro-network," Ms. Walsh said. "It is right and proper that Andy stays as sole leader." Separately, Steve Henry, who was chairman of HHCL/Red Cell before the transition to the United micro-network, is moving to TBWA London to become executive creative director. TBWA has been looking for a U.K. creative chief since the departure of Chairman Trevor Beattie last year to open his own London agency. -emma hall Coke bottle shape-shifts for World Cup in Germany [d?sseldorf, germany] Coca-Cola's iconic bottle has been transformed into the shape of a round soccer ball at McDonald's Corp.'s 1,300 German outlets. Until the end of the month-long soccer tournament, kicking off June 9 in Munich, Coca-Cola Germany is including the soccer ball bottles in McDonald's FIFA World Cup 2006 meals. The bottles feature pictures of six soccer stars from Germany, Argentina, Brazil, the U.K., the Netherlands and Italy. The soccer-ball bottle can also be bought separately, but only at McDonald's. The promotion is backed by a TV campaign by DDB Worldwide-owned Heye & Partner, Munich. The round Coke bottles are also being sold at McDonald's in neighboring Austria, Hungary and Poland."The Coke ball bottle is only available for a short time during the soccer championship and in limited quantity. The fans will be thrilled," Johan Jervee, VP-market research and menu management at McDonald's Germany, said in a statement. In a more international tie-in running in Europe and parts of Asia, Procter & Gamble is putting Pringles in the World Cup with a TV and interactive campaign called "Can you kick it?" The spot by Grey Worldwide, D?sseldorf, features international soccer stars including Roberto Carlos, Gerald Asamoah and Francisco Totti demonstrating soccer moves using a Pringles can. Grey Interactive created the Web site pringlesfootball.com, where fans can win a trip to a soccer training camp. -dagmar mussey Burnett retains Li Ning biz in China after review [beijing] Chinese sportswear marketer Li Ning has kept Leo Burnett Worldwide in Beijing as its creative agency following a three-way pitch against Ogilvy & Mather and Bates Asia, both part of WPP Group. Billings were not disclosed, but Li Ning spends up to $25 million on advertising annually. Leo Burnett and its Publicis Groupe media-agency sibling Starcom have worked with Li Ning since 2002. "They have the passion and commitment for Li Ning necessary to make the brand stronger, especially ahead of the Olympic Games in 2008. They also provided good results in the pitch for specific questions about how to make the brand more cool and give it more attitude," said Abel Wu, Li Ning's VP-marketing and international business in Beijing. The Chinese marketer trails Nike and Adidas but Li Ning is intensifying efforts to make its brand image more global. Earlier this year, for example, the company inked a deal with the National Basketball Association's Damon Jones to promote a shoe series, Fei Jia (Flying Armor), marking the first time a current NBA player has been sponsored by any Chinese sports brand. Li Ning is also trying to make its Asian origins seem more stylish to young consumers, with sophisticated ads that feature a stylized form of Chinese calligraphy, for example. -normandy madden FYI... omnicom group's Manning Gottlieb OMD, London, has started its own entertainment division called Invents in the U.K. and may roll it out internationally if successful. A third of Manning Gottlieb OMD clients, including Sony BMG, Sony Pictures, Sony PlayStation, Virgin Megastores, Virgin Games and World Poker Exchange, are moving into the new division. The agency's first piece of new business is publisher Hodder & Stoughton, whose authors include Stephen King. ... Wal-Mart Stores is selling its 16 stores in South Korea, pulling out of a market that has been unprofitable for the retail giant. ... Viacom Outdoor, the U.K. division of CBS Outdoor, won the advertising contract for the London Underground, covering 275 subway stations. ...The Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games has appointed Hill & Knowlton, Beijing, as its global communications consulting firm following an eight-way pitch. ... Swimwear maker Speedo awarded its strategic-digital-marketing account to Media Catalyst, Amsterdam, following a pitch against two London-based interactive agencies.