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GSK joins ‘mediapalooza’ with local $27.5m media account in play and Maxus on alert

GSKThe trend of global brands pitching media continues with consumer healthcare giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) pitching its $1bn global account including the local $27.5m media account currently held by GroupM agency Maxus, Mumbrella understands.

Comment is being sought locally from GSK but it would be expected that locally Maxus will line up against at least the other agency on the global roster, PHD, in the pitch.

In Australia, PHD today emerged as the winner of $59m FMCG brand Unilever, and it is unclear at this stage whether the Omnicom agency would be able to work with GSK in this market given the two companies have several competing products.

Mediapalooza The move by GSK makes it the 12th local account to be impacted by the series of global media pitches, which have variously been dubbed ‘mediapalooza‘ and ‘reviewageddon‘, and which in 2015 has put in excess of $200m in local billings at play.

This number accounts only for the main media spend, according to Nielsen, however with digital spend included it is likely to be closer to $250m in billings under review.

All agencies contacted declined to comment.

GSK has major health brands such as Sensodyne, Panadol, Nicabate and Macleans and is one of GroupM agency Maxus’s largest clients.

In a statement to UK publication The Drum GSK quoted a global spokesman who said Starcom, which had been on the roster before a merger with rival Novartis, would not participate in the review.

“GSK Consumer Healthcare is conducting a review of its current media planning has agencies following the completion of a joint venture with Novartis,” said the GSK spokesman to The Drum.

GSKconsolidated its local Australia and New Zealand media account into incumbent Maxus in 2012, which retained the account 2013 following a review. 

Nic Christensen 

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