P&G shortlists five agencies for $2.5bn media planning

by Staff,, Brand Republic 03-Jun-04, 11:00

NEW YORK - Havas-owned Media Planning Group and Aegis' Carat are among the five agencies shortlisted for Procter & Gamble's $2.5bn North American media planning account.

It was originally reported that P&G would be hearing from four agencies, including the incumbents Publicis Groupe-owned Starcom MediaVest in Chicago and Grey Global Group's MediaCom in New York.

The fifth agency on the list is a Texas-based agency called Targetbase, which is part of the Omnicom Group. It describes itself as a full-service database marketing company, although it is understood the agency has used its data-driven strategy to offer media planning services in recent years. It already works for P&G, as well as firms such as GlaxoSmithKline and Quaker Oats.

Media buying is not affected by the review, which is expected to be completed by July. According to reports, there are plans to expand the role of media planning at P&G to include public relations and sales promotion.

When the review was announced in April, Greg Ross, P&G's director of media for North America, said: "Given today's media fragmentation, we need to connect with our consumers and reach them at various touch points."

Last year Procter & Gamble was the second-biggest advertiser in the US, spending $2.2bn on advertising. The household goods giant owns brands such as Charmin, Oil of Olay, Tampax and Pampers.

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