Dr. Scholl’s is taking its media business to OMD USA. The agency won the account in a fast-paced review that began in December 2020, picking up the foot-care brand from Dentsu Mcgarrybowen, New York.

The move comes on the heels of the independent agency Joan announcing it had captured the creative side of the account in January, which also was held by Dentsu Mcgarrybowen. 

OMD, like Joan, won the account in a consultant-free review that took place over mere weeks versus the typical months-long process.

“We wanted to balance speed with making the right choice around partners, so Joan and OMD were both agencies that we sought out based on personal recommendations,” said Kate Godbout, senior VP of marketing at Scholl’s Wellness Company, who added that the account had been at Dentsu Mcgarrybowen for about a year. “We tapped into our professional networks and talked to people about what agencies were on their radars.”

OMD will assess the rapidly changing media landscape for Dr. Scholl’s, covering linear and connected TV opportunities and online video outlets. Digital marketing duties are retained by DuMont Project in Marina del Rey, California. 

“As Dr. Scholl’s enters its 115th year, OMD will be bringing the full scope of our modern media capabilities—with emphasis on data-driven precision marketing at scale—to deliver business results that will assure the brand’s continued category leadership,” said John Osborn, CEO at OMD USA.

Dr. Scholl’s also considered OMD’s business transformation capabilities, talent, scale and the ability to leverage parent Omnicom's Omni platform to increase media efficiency and effectiveness. 

OMD snapped up the $400-plus million Home Depot media account, previously held by Dentsu’s CARAT division, in January.

Joan and OMD’s impact will be seen as early as this spring, with new advertising breaking in time for sandal season. Dentsu Mcgarrybowen’s recent campaigns centered around the “We HEART Feet” theme with television spots tracking all the wondrous things feet can do and the spirit of that message will continue. 

“Now we are taking advantage of the opportunity, of the momentum of the culture, and turning up the volume,” said Lisa Clunie, co-founder and CEO at Joan about the work her agency is creating for the brand.

“The majority of our business is in insoles and orthotics and Joan will be developing two new ad campaigns to support,” said Godbout. “ OMD will be supporting us on the biggest part of our media budget, television.”

Dr. Scholl’s marks yet another loss for Dentsu Mcgarrybowen, which participated in the media review. It saw a flagship piece of business, the United Airlines account, get called into review last week, which the agency also will defend.

As for Dr. Scholl’s, the iconic brand has gone through a few changes of its own. Yellow Wood Partners, the Boston-based private equity firm, acquired it from Bayer in 2019 for $585 million and placed the venerable nameplate under the new banner of Scholl’s Wellness Company.   

 “We believe there is significant opportunity to build the Scholl’s Wellness Company into a broader wellness business through both organic growth and additional acquisitions,” said Tad Yanagi, a partner at Yellow Wood Partners, when the acquisition was announced.