Grey loses £3m Anadin to Publicis over conflict of interest
Whitehall Laboratories has pulled its £3m Anadin account out of Grey and returned it to Publicis, which handled the business three years ago.
Whitehall Laboratories has pulled its &£3m Anadin account out of Grey and returned it to Publicis, which handled the business three years ago.
The move consolidates Whitehall’s brands – Anadin, cold and sinus remedy Advil and the Centrum vitamin brands – in Publicis.
David Beauchamp, Whitehall managing director, says: “Due to a potential conflict with {Grey client} SmithKline Beecham, we have decided to consolidate all our business into Publicis.”
It is unclear what conflicts there may be with Anadin, though one source suggests that Whitehall may be planning to launch products which compete with brands owned by SmithKline Beecham.
The Whitehall and SmithKline Beecham businesses have co-existed within Grey for some time, as the accounts do not create a direct clash. Grey handles the Beechams Cold & Flu , Aquafresh, Macleans, Horlicks and Ribena accounts for SmithKline Beecham.
Grey chief executive Steve Blamer says: “We are proud of the work we have done for Anadin, but we understand this decision and realignment.”
At the end of last year, Grey launched a TV and poster campaign for Anadin, called “Forget”.
Blamer says he does not believe SmithKline Beecham is considering moving any of its analgesic accounts into Grey from Ogilvy & Mather, which handles Anadin’s competitors Hedex, Panadol and Solpadine.
