What the papers say: P&G surprises with Gillette buy

PR Week UK 04-Feb-05

Procter and Gamble (P&G) took the market and media by surprise last week when it announced its £30bn acquisition of Gillette. ‘Another mega-deal eludes the media’ (The Times, 29 January).

The union was reported as a ‘dream deal’ (Gillette shareholder, The Guardian, 29 January). Such enthusiasm might be customary from the involved parties, but the deal was also commended in wider circles.

‘Good health and perfect timing lead to a beautiful deal’ (Financial Times, 29 January).

While few doubted that ‘P&G, even in beefed-up form’ (Nils Pratley, The Guardian, 29 January) could redress the balance of power between manufacturers and global retailers such as Wal-Mart and Tesco, the same could not be said for its relationship with media agencies.

As the world’s largest advertiser, P&G would clearly be in an ideal position

‘to negotiate advantageous deals with media companies,’ (The Economist, 28 January). Put bluntly: ‘P&G bid set to shake up advertising world’ (FT, 29 January).

Analysis conducted by Echo Research from data supplied to PRWeek from NewsNow. www.echoresearch.com www.newsnow.co.uk