Media reviews dominate global new biz in August

FMCG remains by far the top sector for most agency new business globally in August, but data from Campaign’s Advertising Intelligence tool shows that the next two categories have changed position since July.

August billings in FMCG reached $4.3bn, thanks to Unilever’s review. This is the biggest account move of the year so far, with the brand allocating $3bn to WPP’s Mindshare.

The next two sectors – government and media & entertainment – have shot up, seeing billings reach $431.5m and $369.3m respectively, though both still lag behind FMCG.

August was by far the strongest month for government in 2021 and surpassed February, when billings reached $190.2m.

Comparing these figures with August 2020, government has seen a 390% increase from $88.1m and media & entertainment a 55% rise from $238m.

Most of August’s activity in government was led by media reviews – billings leapt to $406.3m from $4.9m in July. That said, this sector represented only 8% of all media billings in August.

OMD accounted for the bulk of August’s media billings after it landed a place on the UK government’s new communications roster, valued at $350m.

Publicis snags fitness franchise

The media & entertainment sector also grew as a result of media reviews in August, with total billings jumping from $95.5m in July to $278m. This sector accounted for just 5% of overall media billings in August.

By region, the US dominated due to its higher-value account moves. The country represented nearly 90% ($250m) of all new-business billings in media & entertainment in August.

It follows the Planet Fitness pitch in which the $200m business was won by Publicis Groupe. The company set up a new unit, called Team Lift, to handle the brand’s marketing strategy, data and analytics, media planning and buying, creative and brand partnerships.

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