INTERNATIONAL NEWS: Bristol-Myers drops Zenith for Starcom

<p>The pharmaceuticals giant Bristol-Myers Squibb, the parent of </p><p>brands including the Clairol range and Mum deodorant, is centralising </p><p>its global media planning and buying into BCom3's Starcom MediaVest </p><p>Group. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The appointment means that Zenith Media is losing one of its founding </p><p>clients. The agency handled the account across Europe, where it is </p><p>estimated to be worth about £30 million (about US$42 </p><p>million), as well as in the Middle East and Africa. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>It also worked on the local TV business in the US. Starcom already holds </p><p>the bulk of the company's media buying business in Asia. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Most of Bristol-Myers' US media is conducted in-house and will be </p><p>unaffected by the review. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Manning Gottlieb Media, which handles the media for Bristol-Myers' </p><p>Aussie Haircare product range in the United Kingdom, also loses out in </p><p>the centralisation. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>It is thought that MediaVest will handle the UK account, worth £11 </p><p>million, to avoid any clashes within Starcom Motive's P&G business, </p><p>which includes the Vidal Sassoon brand. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In the UK, Clairol Herbal Essences and its Daily Defence range accounts </p><p>for the largest proportion of advertising spend, spending almost £8 million in the 12 months to June, according to ACNielsen MMS. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The realignment follows on from Bristol-Myers' decision two years ago to </p><p>rationalise its global roster of creative agencies, which include FCB </p><p>and two of the creative agencies within the Bcom3 network, D'Arcy and </p><p>the Kaplan Thaler Group in New York. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>