Source: Moreaboutadvertising
Procter & Gamble has called a full review of its £210m UK media account which is yet another headache for Publicis Groupe which owns incumbent media agency Starcom.
In the US Publicis lost the bulk of P&G’s whopper $2.7bn account to Omnicom’s new network Hearts & Science, specifically set up to handle P&G. Omnicom is expected to pitch against Publicis with WPP’s MediaCom, which handles P&G’s press buying in the UK and Aegis also involved.
Publicis has been the biggest loser among the major marketing and communication groups in the so-called ‘Mediapalooza’ of reviews, in part fuelled by anxieties among clients in the US about allegedly undisclosed media rebates. All the big marcoms companies have denied they are in receipt of any such things. MediaCom will be particular keen to expand on its toehold at P&G as it recently lost the $2bn Volkswagen global business to Omnicom’s PHD after a pitch involving a controversial ‘blind auction’ of media prices.
Logically, though, Omnicom should be in the driving seat following the move of P&G’s US business to H&S.
P&G is the UK’s second biggest advertiser after Sky and the biggest buyer of TV.
