Reckitt consolidates US$1.3 bn in media

Global - Consumer-goods giant Reckitt Benckiser has consolidated its US$1.3 billion global media account with Havas Media and Publicis Groupe's ZenithOptimedia, the client has confirmed. 

Both organizations were already on the client's roster.

The review included both digital and traditional media and kicked off in May.

Client brands include Woolite, Lysol, Lemsip, Nurofen, Dettol and Vanish, the client has confirmed.

In the U.S., Havas' MPG holds the account. Reckitt spent slightly more than $500 million on ads in the U.S. in 2008, up 20 percent from 2007, according to Nielsen. It was not immediately clear how that assignment would shake out.

Omnicom Media Group, which also handled some Reckitt assignments, and WPP participated in the pitch, the client confirmed.

Rakesh Kapoor, the client's evp, category development, said in a statement, "Consumer media habits are evolving all the time and in the current economic conditions we need to think radically. Our new approach to media buying and planning introduces game-changing strategies in every aspect of how we communicate with our customers if we want to continue our track record of superior performance."

The client said the consolidation would bring economies of scale and further improve consistency in media strategies and implementation across countries.

Kapoor added: "We have chosen two global media partners that will bring us new consumer insights, better capabilities in technology and systems and superior skills in ensuring that we build better consumer engagement strategies and executions."

The client managed the process internally.