Müller calls review of £13m brief at Publicis

Müller is reviewing its £13m advertising business at Publicis. A pitch is expected next week. The move comes just two months after the arrival of the company’s new managing director, Andrew Harrison.

The review, which is understood to be handled by the Haystack Group, follows the recent appointment of European marketing director Jen Oliver Hauck, who joined the company from Procter & Gamble. It also comes just weeks after the departure to Weetabix of former UK managing director Ken Wood, who was promoted to Müller Group marketing director handling non-European activity in January after Harrison’s appointment (MW January 8).

Publicis won the business in 1999 and created the Müller Love campaign, which has been used to build the brand and its range of products for the past two years. It also led to Müller’s £2m sponsorship of ITV1 show Blind Date.

Müller has been the UK’s leading dairy brand since 2002, when it overtook Dairy Crest. It has a five per cent share of the £6.5bn UK dairy market and a 30 per cent share of the £931m yoghurt market. It is also making moves into the chilled dessert market after winning the Cadbury dessert contract from Uniq (MW March 11) and tieing up with McVitie’s to make co-branded desserts following the end of its deal with Kellogg (MW January 29).