WPP agencies win £20m Michelin media business

Tyre manufacturer Michelin has split its &£20m European media planning and buying account between Mediaedge:CIA and WPP Group affiliate KR Media.

Mediaedge:CIA will be the lead agency on the business throughout Europe, except in France. KR Media will handle the French account from Paris and will also be responsible for international co-ordination.

The review was run from Michelin’s French headquarters. The UK incumbent was Brand Connection. Michelin’s marketing spend in the UK is &£4m. KR Media was launched by former Aegis Media Europe chief executives Bruno Kemoun and Eryck Rebbouh in January last year.

Kemoun and Rebbouh, credited with driving the creation of the Carat media network, left Aegis in November 2003. In June last year, WPP took a minority stake in KR Media, with the agency given access to WPP’s systems, research and buying clout.

Michelin is a public company listed on the French Stock Exchange but it is still run by a member of the Michelin family, Edouard Michelin.

The company has been in the headlines for the wrong reasons in recent weeks after the farcical scenes at the US Grand Prix last month. Just six cars started the race in Indianapolis after Michelin’s tyres were blamed for a high-speed crash. The cars on Michelin tyres decided not to race for safety reasons and the company has since offered spectators a refund.