Burnett shop to open with £20m Heinz

Starcom, Leo Burnett’s independent media operation is opening its doors for the first time tomorrow (Thursday) after winning the £20m Heinz centralised media buying and implementation planning account.

Starcom, incumbent on the company’s John West brand, pitched for the account against IDK, which handled the rest of the Heinz business in the UK, and against outsider MindShare.

Eric Salamon, Heinz’s general manager, corporate marketing, comments: “Of the three agencies which pitched Starcom best demonstrated an ability to maximise efficiency and effectiveness across a diverse range of categories and audiences.”

The media review followed a shift in the creative agency line-up for Heinz’s brands in which Leo Burnett emerged as the lead global roster agency.

In September, Leo Burnett won Heinz’s £90m global ketchup business, as well as sauces and condiments in a worldwide agency re- alignment. Bates handled ketchup in the UK.

In April, Burnett also picked up the £50m globally.

The agency already handled John West globally.

Bates Worldwide handles frozen and chilled food including the Weight Watchers brand, while TBWA Simons Palmer works on infant feeding.