Saatchi wins £15m P&G launch

Procter & Gamble (P&G) has picked Saatchi & Saatchi to handle the UK launch of its Physique haircare brand. The account is understood to be worth up to £15m.

Procter & Gamble (P&G) has picked Saatchi & Saatchi to handle the UK launch of its Physique haircare brand. The account is understood to be worth up to £15m.

Saatchi already handles P&G’s Head & Shoulders range, which has an annual ad spend of £6m. The only other P&G haircare range sold in the UK is Pantene, which is handled by Grey Advertising. Pantene has an advertising budget of £10.8m, according to AC Nielsen-MEAL.

Physique, which aims to take a share of the salon-branded haircare market, launches in January, and will be supported by TV and press advertising.

A P&G spokeswoman says: “This is our first new haircare brand in 20 years, and it will be a major launch for the UK market”. The company refused to give details of the marketing budget for the new brand.

The unisex haircare range was first introduced in the US in January this year, and was backed by a $110m (£73m) advertising budget. An Internet site for Physique, which invites consumers to apply for free samples and updates on the brand, was also launched in the US earlier this year.

The Physique products, which include shampoos, conditioners, mousses, sprays, creams, gels and hair wax, range in price from £4.50 to £7.