Lowe under threat as Unilever mulls £15m Hellmann’s shake-up

Unilever is understood to be talking to roster shops about a possible pan-European review for the Hellmann’s Mayonnaise brand, worth an estimated &£15m.

The move could weaken Lowe’s place on the Unilever roster. It handles the &£6.5m business in the UK and the balance in Europe. It also handles the Unilever-owned Sure deodorant brand.

Ogilvy & Mather handles the brand in the US, which it won two years ago after pitching against Lowe. The move comes weeks after Unilever decided to begin a pan-European review of its &£20m Knorr brand. JWT handles the business in Europe, which it was awarded in November 2004 without a pitch. In the UK, DDB has the responsibility for the Knorr brand.

Last year Lowe lost the &£25m global advertising for Flora to Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH) (MW July 8, 2004). BBH has since been handling the business for the margarine brand and its functional food sub-brand Pro-Activ.

The latest Hellmann’s mayonnaise television ad features a large man eating chips garnished with the dressing while dancing to Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get it On.