SHANGHAI: Consumer goods giant Henkel has replaced Carat with
Optimum Media Direction as its media agency of record following a review
that lasted more than six months.
The account, with estimated annual billings of Rmb100 million (about
US$12.3 million), was initially put up for pitch in February.
A decision was made only recently to give the incumbent agency another
chance at retaining the business, sources close to the review said.
"They wanted to make sure that they made the right decision," said one
source.
Robert FitzGerald, OMD China managing director, said cost efficiency was
the focus of the review. "It came down to getting a bigger bang for the
client's advertising dollar. That meant combining planning and
creativity to boost impact with the best rates possible," he said.
There was no change in the agencies handling the creative assignments,
including BBDO/CNUAC and local shop Megacom Advertising.
Henkel, which has two main divisions, detergent and skincare, uses a
roster of agencies globally: Carat, OMD and CIA.
OMD's China brief includes advertising work for the two divisions, whose
major brands include detergent product, Wipp, and skincare label, Fa.
