The modern McCann Erickson is the result of a 1930 merger in New York between two pioneer agencies, The H. K. McCann Company, which opened in 1912, and The Erickson Company, founded in 1902. The two agency principals themselves were industry visionaries whose contributions encompassed establishing the core general practices and central ethical guidelines of the industry. This included their roles in helping to launch the American Association of Advertising Agencies and the Audit Bureau of Circulations.