BHI moves Clearasil work to McCann-Erickson

Boots Healthcare International (BHI) has moved its Clearasil global ad account out of Grey Worldwide and into McCann-Erickson, consolidating all its business into the agency.

The move comes two years after BHI acquired the brand from Procter & Gamble in a 233m cash deal. At the time of the deal, Marketing Week predicted that the account, which was then worth 3m in the UK, would eventually be moved out of Grey – previously appointed by P&G – and into McCann (MW October 19, 2000).

BHI spends just under 1m advertising Clearasil. It is attempting to turn the brand, which is associated with bad skin, into one that is associated with the promotion of healthy skin and make it the leading skincare brand for teenagers. In March, BHI launched a series of products, including body wash, overnight gel and face wipes.

McCann also handles the global ad work for BHI’s other brands, including Strepsils and Nurofen.

BHI managing director Paul Stoneham says: “This decision removes complexity. Grey has been a strong partner, helping us to restore Clearasil to growth as we integrated the brand into BHI its acquisition. We are confident that McCann will build on this work.”

For the financial year ending March 31, BHI reported a profit of 67m, a rise of 13.2 per cent on the previous year. This was based on turnover of 407m, which was up by 12.9 per cent.