P&G boss admits brand ads have been 'too global'

by Mark Kleinman,, Marketing 17-Sep-03, 08:30

LONDON - Mark Brickhill, Procter & Gamble's fabric care marketing chief for Western Europe, has confessed that the company has been 'too global' in some of its past advertising.

Brickhill, promoted to the role last week after a spell as fabric and home care marketing director for the UK and Ireland, made his comments last week at a Marketing Society event on international agency networks, organised by The Haystack Group. Among the brands in his care are Febreze, Lenor and Ariel.

Brickhill admitted P&G, whose global agencies include Grey Worldwide, Leo Burnett and Publicis, had made some mistakes by being "too European, too global and not local enough" and in other cases by doing the reverse.

He said he would like to see "a greater level of collaboration between the very large number of agencies it takes to get a great plan off the ground". He added that such partnerships were key to breakthrough advertising work.

Event panellists included Carphone Warehouse chairman Charles Dunstone and Nestle Rowntree marketing director Andrew Harrison.