Zenith wins majority of £162m P&G planning…

Procter & Gamble has stripped Mediacom of its media planning business, consolidating the lion’s share of its £162m account into Zenith Optimedia following a review.

Procter & Gamble has stripped Mediacom of its media planning business, consolidating the lion’s share of its &£162m account into Zenith Optimedia following a review.

P&G had previously split its planning business equally three ways between MediaCom, Starcom MediaVest group and Zenith Optimedia in the UK. The move does not affect the packaged goods giant’s media buying business, which is handled jointly by Starcom MediaVest and Mediacom.

Zenith Optimedia’s share of P&G’s planning business has now risen to an estimated &£90m, while Starcom MediaVest holds the remainder.

Zenith Optimedia is tipped to be handed P&G’s haircare and detergent portfolio, including Pantene, Bold, Flash and Clairol Nice ‘N’ Easy, and Starcom MediaVest is likely to be given the Pringles snack brand.

P&G’s decision bucks the trend in other territories. Starcom Media-Vest recently won the planning business in France and the account was split between Starcom and MediaCom in Germany.

All creative advertising for P&G brands in the UK is handled by Saatchi & Saatchi, Leo Burnett, Grey and Publicis.

Antony Young recently took the helm as chief executive at Zenith Optimedia UK, joining from the position of chief executive Zenith Optimedia Asia. He has stated that the agency’s positioning will focus on a return on investment for clients.

He says: “This win will get a lot of marketers to feel differently about Zenith Optimedia. P&G is a client that looks to substance over show, particularly where pitches are concerned.”

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