Mars to launch massive global agency review

Mars Inc., the consumer packaged goods conglomerate, is set to launch a sprawling global agency review, Ad Age has learned. The review is focused on Mars Snacking, which includes Mars candy brands such as M&Ms, Snickers and Wrigley’s, as well as Mars Petcare, which encompasses brands such as Pedigree, Cesar and Royal Canin. Mars Food & Nutrition, which includes brands including Ben’s Original, Seeds of Change and Masterfoods, is not part of the review. The goal is to narrow down the number of agency partners those units work with, according to a person familiar with the matter. The review will include media, commerce, social media, brand PR and influencer marketing. Creative will not be affected. “As part of our planned review of our agency partners, we are taking this opportunity to ensure we are set up to continue delivering best-in-class brand building. As a result, we are initiating RFP processes across several capability areas within our consumer brands and expect the process to conclude in 2025,” a Mars spokesperson said in a statement. Agency Review Tracker Stay up to date with the latest account reviews Click here GroupM’s EssenceMediacom currently handles the global media account, which it retained in 2022 following an internal review. Mars consolidated its global media buying and planning with what was then Mediacom in 2018, taking business away from Publicis Groupe’s Starcom and Omnicom’s OMD. GroupM declined to comment on the upcoming review. (Mediacom has since merged with Essence to form EssenceMediacom.) Several other holding company agencies work with Mars. Omnicom, which handles creative through agencies including BBDO and DDB, could not immediately be reached for comment. Mars United Commerce, which was recently acquired by Publicis Groupe, works with Mars Snacking. Publicis Groupe declined to comment. Interpublic Group of Cos.’ Weber Shandwick manages the bulk of brand PR for the company. IPG referred calls to comment to the client. “We are committed to conducting a fair and transparent RFP that respects the contributions of all our partners and we are grateful to our incumbent holding companies—each of whom has been invited to participate in the RFP—for their partnership,” the Mars spokesperson said. Ad Age Leading National Advertisers 2024 U.S. ad spending, rankings, analysis and profiles for the biggest marketers Click here Ad Age Datacenter estimates Mars Inc.’s worldwide ad spending at $2.4 billion in 2023. The company had U.S. measured-media spending of $305 million in the first two quarters of 2024, up from $289 million during the same period of 2023, according to data from Vivvix, including paid social data from Pathmatics. Mars spent $626 million in U.S. measured media during all of 2023. Mars in August agreed to buy snack marketer Kellanova, which spent $633 million on advertising in 2023 and recently wrapped a review in which it expanded its relationship with IPG. The Kellanova deal is expected to close within the first half of 2025. The Mars review isn’t anticipated to have an impact on Kellanova’s agency relationships, according to the person familiar with the matter. Mars declined to comment on how the review would impact Kellanova agency relationships.

Mars to launch massive global agency review

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