INTERNATIONAL: Publicis beats two to Coke Euro task

Publicis has been picked by Coca-Cola to handle its pan-European

branding assignments in a further move by the US soft drinks giant to

make its marketing more responsive to local conditions.

The Paris-based group saw off the other Coke roster networks,

McCann-Erickson and Leo Burnett, as well as the fledgling UK agency Soul

to win the task to develop the brand's "Enjoy" theme for European

markets.

It is the first time Coke has appointed a network to produce work on a

regional basis.

It is believed that the Publicis agency in London will take pole

position in the development of the work, drawing on creative resources

from other Publicis offices.

Commercials will be offered to local managers for use either in addition

to or instead of more locally produced work. They alone will decide

whether or not they wish to run it. The appointment does not affect

existing agency assignments.

Publicis handles Coke business in some 40 countries, including the UK,

where it produces creative work for the Coca-Cola and Diet Coke

brands.

Last year, the group was appointed to spearhead a crisis communications

programme after tainted Coke cans were found in Belgium.

The latest assignment is in line with the company's mandate to 'think

local, act local' and with the declared intent of Mr Douglas Daft,

Coke's worldwide president, to devolve marketing control out of the

company's Atlanta headquarters and allow local managers greater

autonomy.

"Until now, 90 per cent of Coke's advertising in the UK has been driven

and controlled from Atlanta," an industry source said. "Now they want to

go local and get away from a situation in which Atlanta creates

advertising solutions to be disseminated around the world."

The contamination scandal in Belgium - and Coke's slow response to it -

as well as a sluggish domestic market have all helped fuel the

trend.

The devolvement is not expected to lead to advertising on a

country-by-country basis but campaigns which would run across countries

with similar cultures.