Reckitt Benckiser Adds McCann, Droga5 and Wieden & Kennedy to Roster

Reckitt Benckiser has tapped indie shop Droga5 to handle creative duties for Air Wick and Clearasil, the company confirmed Monday. It has also appointed McCann to handle Mucinex and Delsym, and Wieden & Kennedy to lead creative on Finish. The company had initially begun a review process in December for Air Wick, Finish and Clearasil. RB added Mucinex to the list of brands for which it was hunting for a new creative agency in April. "We are delighted that Droga5, Wieden+Kennedy and McCann will be partnering with us," said Heather Allen, exec VP-global category development. "The quality of the strategic and creative thinking we have seen throughout the review has been superb. We're really excited about working with our entire roster of highly creative agencies." Havas Worldwide -- which handled Air Wick, Clearasil and Finish -- "continues to be a key agency partner and retains the rest of the extensive brand portfolio," according to a release issued Monday morning. RB has been focusing on Mucinex from an advertising perspective in recent years, according to Kantar Media data, reaching $92 million in measured media in 2012, but spending on the brand fell to $57 million last year. Mucinex has handled advertising in-house, both before and after RB's 2007 acquisition of the brand along with the rest of Adams Respiratory Therapeutics. Air Wick spent $16.7 million on measured media in 2013, while Finish spent $3.1 million, according to Katar Media. RB has a history with McCann, which worked with the company in the 1990s until 2001, when conflict issues arose from Interpublic's acquisition of True North Communications. True North's Foote Cone & Belding network handled ad duties for RB rival SC Johnson, and McCann was forced to resign the RB account, which was then estimated at $150 million. McCann, which was on the roster of Boots Healthcare when RB acquired it in 2006, also lost that account, again because of the Interpublic conflict with SCJ. But with SCJ having parted ways with DraftFCB in 2011, the door has apparently reopened for McCann. RB overall spent $375.6 million in measured media last year, according to Kantar Media. In December, it named four shops to handle global media planning and buying, including Aegis, Publicis, Havas and IPG Mediabrands. Contributing: Jack Neff

Reckitt Benckiser Adds McCann, Droga5 and Wieden & Kennedy to Roster

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