Reckitt divides £800m brief between Havas and Publicis

FMCG giant takes integrated approach by consolidating media buying

Reckitt Benckiser has appointed Havas Media Group and Publicis Groupe as its two lead global media agencies to handle its £800m media planning and buying business for brands such as Lemsip, Nurofen, Dettol and Vanish.

The appointments see a consolidation of Reckitt Benckiser’s global media buying and the company hopes the decision will deliver economies of scale and ensure a fully integrated approach across its “Powerbrands”.

The assignment will be split between Havas Media Group and Publicis Groupe. Both already work with Reckitt Benckiser in some parts of the world. In the UK, the company’s media was handled by OMD.

Havas, OMD, Publicis and WPP pitched for the contracts.

The company currently spends 12.4% of its global net revenues on buying advertising media. The review also included online and digital media.

Rakesh Kapoor, executive vice-president of category development, says: “Consumer media habits are evolving all the time and in the current economic conditions we need to think radically.

“Our new approach to media buying and planning introduces game-changing strategies in every aspect of how we communicate with our customers if we want to continue our track record of superior performance.”