The news comes days after the healthcare giant stripped Universal McCann’s sibling, McCann Erickson, of US$30 million of Asia creative business (Media, 4 July) after a global realignment, although the two reviews were separately managed.
The IPG media network will retain the business in key markets Japan and Australia, according to a source close to the client. It also keeps the business in the Philippines and Malaysia, and gains ground in Singapore and Thailand, where it co-runs the business with Initiative.
Omnicom’s OMD walks away with the biggest single prize, retaining J&J’s media duties in China. As yet unclear is where the business will go in Indonesia, where Initiative runs the account. In India, a result was inconclusive as Media went to press; there, the business is shared by MediaCom and Universal McCann.
J&J Asia-Pacific marketing director Mario Montuori, would not name individual winners by market. “Most recommendations have been made,” he said. “The final result is out of regional control.”
The result is bad news for Initiative and Aegis’ Carat, which was invited to join the pitch last month (Media, 7 May). The $3 billion review kicked off in April, after J&J’s acquisition of Pfizer Consumer Healthcare in 2006.