CIA faces £6m Sensodyne review after SB takeover
Smithkline Beecham (SB), which has recently bought Block Drug, the US-based maker of Sensodyne toothpaste, is tipped to consolidate the brand’s &£6m UK media buying account into Mediacom, incumbent on SB’s Aquafresh and Macleans toothpaste brands.
CIA UK currently handles media buying for Sensodyne, as well as for denture-fixture Poligrip, which has also been bought by SB.
The total media spend for Smithkline Beecham’s oral care products, including Sensodyne, is now believed to be more than &£19m. Macleans and Aquafresh account for more than &£13m media spend.
In the UK, the Sensodyne range is marketed through a subsidiary company of Block Drug, Stafford-Miller, which is a healthcare and oral hygiene products company.
A spokeswoman for SB says: “At the moment, we are only looking
at the integration process of the newly acquired products with our existing lines.”
However, the company declined to comment on the consolidation of its media agencies.
The $1.2bn (&£800m) bid by SB also includes acquisition of Block Drug’s cleansers and adhesives for dentures, mouthwash, laxatives and nappy rash ointment.
The creative work for Sensodyne is handled by The PTK Partnership, while the creative agency for Macleans and Aquafresh is Grey Advertising.
SB is in the process of merging with Glaxo Wellcome. The move, scheduled for completion by the end of this year, will result in a sell-off of brands expected to include Aquafresh and Macleans.
