FrieslandCampina concludes global media pitch

FrieslandCampina has appointed Publicis Media to handle its integrated strategic media buying and planning duties for its subsidiary brands globally, MARKETING-INTERACTIVE understands. MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Publicis and FrieslandCampina for an official statement. 

This follows a competitive pitch earlier this year, and Publicis was chosen due to its exceptional track record in delivering innovative media solutions and its deep understanding of the global market dynamics. Meanwhile, Wavemaker was the incumbent on the account for The Netherlands.

While the contract duration is not yet disclosed, MARKETING-INTERACTIVE understands Publicis is tasked at handling the media and buying responsibilities for both offline and online media across all markets for the brand from 2026. Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand are understood to be the major markets out of APAC.

The appointment comes as FrieslandCampina delivered strong results in the first half of 2025, with its revenue rising by 6.4% to 6.8 billion euros, despite lower volumes. Operating profit increased by 20.6% to 363 million euros, partly due to strong performances in the business groups specialised nutrition and ingredients, as well as cost savings realised by the expedition 2030 and performance+ programmes.

In the second half of 2025, the company expects to face several headwinds that were not present in 2024 or earlier in 2025 given consumer confidence is low worldwide, which will likely impact volumes. Currency developments are also expected to have a negative effect, and commodity dairy markets are becoming less favourable. These factors will lead to a lower profitability.

According to an earlier statement from CEO Jan Derck van Karnebeek, the balanced spread of the business across markets, products and channels demonstrates its value. "Our focus on winning in the market and improving margins is paying off. Despite challenges in some regions, the gross margin increased, and we generated a positive operating cash flow."

He added, "We continue to build on a future in which we create value for our members, consumers and customers, while at the same time contributing to a more sustainable world. This is what FrieslandCampina stands for, doing dairy right."

In the first half of the year, FrieslandCampina continued to invest in a more efficient and sustainable production network. In the Netherlands, the company invested in various areas, such as electrification, circular water use and more sustainable packaging.

The network was further strengthened internationally through the opening of a new distribution centre in Malaysia. Considerable progress was also made within the chain: the number of dairy farmers participating in the regenerative agriculture pilot was doubled to sixty farms, and FrieslandCampina’s refined climate goals were validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), in line with the Paris Agreement.

In addition to the FrieslandCampina win, Publicis has secured several major global media accounts in recent months. In July, the network was awarded PayPal’s global media business following a competitive review. Other wins include Coca-Cola, Nespresso, Lego, Paramount, and Spotify, further reinforcing Publicis’ growing dominance in the global media landscape.

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