DDB London secures £6m Wyeth business

Wyeth Consumer Healthcare has appointed DDB London to handle its &£6m advertising business.

The appointment follows a five-way pitch against Bartle Bogle Hegarty, Grey London, Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R and incumbent Publicis.

DDB London’s brief is expected to include an increased focus on Wyeth’s flagship brand, Anadin. It will start work on the brand in early September. Wyeth is reviewing the advertising and marketing plans for its Centrum and Chapstick brands.

The pitch, handled by the AAR, was overseen by the newly appointed marketing director Katherine Brown who joined from sister company SMA Nutrition earlier this year (MW April 1). She replaced Mark Cooper, who left the company mid-pitch, without a job to go to (MW March 25). The agency review was instigated earlier this year, after the arrival of managing director John Smith (MW February 19). Previously head of Wyeth in Spain, South Africa, Portugal and Russia, Smith replaced David Beauchamp, who retired.

Last year, Wyeth appointed Zenith Optimedia to handle its media planning and buying (MW February 4, 2003). The agency recently brokered a sponsorship deal for Anadin Ultra to sponsor Channel 4’s Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares.

The current television campaign for Anadin was created by Publicis. The agency was first appointed to handle all the Wyeth brands, including Centrum and Chapstick, in September 1999.