Procter & Gamble's recent announcement that it plans to divest, discontinue or merge 90 to 100 brands is putting plenty of its smaller brands -- from Art of Shaving to Zooth -- on alert. But they're not the only ones. P&G's top agencies are also wondering how the changes might affect their businesses.
A handful of agency executives agree that divesting small brands won't put a massive dent in spending. Still, it won't go unnoticed by the shops reliant upon P&G business, as well as those serving vulnerable brands.
The latest move also puts the spotlight on P&G's BAL (brand agency leader) structure, under which P&G designates one agency as a "single point of contact" on most brands. The model is already in flux as brands gain greater control over their agency-roster decisions, according to people familiar with the matter. And some wonder if the latest portfolio play will tip the scales.
"BAL remains a prominent model in our portfolio, and one that works for many of our brands," said a company spokeswoman. "Brands may make agency structure changes for a variety of reasons, and we'll always look for ways to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our agency partnerships."
As the industry awaits news, here's a partial list of shops that support P&G brands gathered from the Ad Age DataCenter. -- Contributing: Jack Neff
CREATIVE/BRANDING
Leo Burnett Worldwide/Arc, Chicago, Toronto: Always, Secret, Vidal Sassoon, Ace, Bounce, Cheer, Gain, Mr. Clean, Swiffer, Era
Arc/Leo Burnett Worldwide, Chicago, brand strategy, retail, e-commerce, customer marketing: Always, Bounty, Bounce, Downy, Gain, Mr. Clean, Swiffer, Tide, Crest, Oral-B, Vicks
Grey, New York: Clairol, Clairol Natural Instincts, CoverGirl, Dolce & Gabbana, Escada, Hugo Boss, Hydrience, Jean Patou, Lacoste, Nice 'n Easy, Pantene, Ultress, Wella, Downy, Febreze, Gillette
BBDO Worldwide, New York: Art of Shaving, Braun, Venus
Wieden & Kennedy, Portland, Ore., creative, media buying and planning: Herbal Essences, Old Spice, P&G corporate
Publicis Kaplan Thaler, New York, creative, digital marketing: Bounty, Charmin, Puffs, Tampax, Cascade, Dawn, Swiffer, Align, Crest, DayQuil, Vicks Formula 44 Custom Care, Glide, Metamucil, NyQuil, Oral-B, Pepto-Bismol, Prilosec OTC, Scope, Vicks, Vicks Vapo, ZzzQuil
Anomaly, New York, new business creation, innovation: P&G corporate
Saatchi & Saatchi, New York: Luvs, Pampers, Head & Shoulders, Olay, Duracell, Tide, Tide Pods, Eukanuba, Iams
McGarryBowen, New York, creative, strategy, digital: Aussie
Landor Associates, Cincinnati, Geneva, Hamburg, Paris, Tokyo, London, corporate and brand identity, packaging: P&G corp, P&G Olympics, Ariel, Downy, Febreze, Lenor, Tide, Crest, Oral-B, Scope, Venus, Vicks, Old Spice, Secret, Wella
Badger & Winters, New York, global branding, packaging and structural design: Clairol
Creed Strategic Imaging, New York, Los Angeles, strategic brand development, package design, digital content, new business development, front-end innovation: fabric, home, global beauty categories
Publicis Life Brands Medicus, New York, professional
advertising: Align, Crest, Oral-B
Upshot, Chicago, promotion, retail and brand marketing: fabric care, househould care, Head & Shoulders, Nice 'n Easy, Olay, Crest, Oral-B
Curiosity, Cincinnati: insight, strategy, creative, new business, special assignments, corporate
MEDIA
Carat, New York, global media planning: Bounty, Charmin, Luvs, Pampers, Puffs, UnderJams, Eukanuba, Gillette, Home Made Simple Starcom MediaVest Group,New York, media planning,
content, buying, branded entertainment: Always, Tampax, Bounty, Charmin, Luvs, Pampers, Puffs, Aussie, Clairol, CoverGirl, Dolce & Gabbana, Fekkai, Gucci, Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Olay, Pantene, Secret, SK-II, Vidal Sassoon Pro Series, Wella, Bounce, Cascade, Cheer, Dawn, Downy, Duracell, Febreze, Gain, Mr. Clean, Swiffer, Tide, Braun, Crest, Fixodent, Oral-B, Scope, Eukanuba, Gillette, Iams, Align, Clearblue, DayQuil, Metamucil, NyQuil, Pepto-Bismol, Prilosec OTC, Vicks, ZzzQuil
DIGITAL MARKETING
Barefoot Proximity, Cincinnati: Always, Tampax, Wella, Braun, Being Girl (North America), Home Made Simple, P&G Everyday, Pampers Village (North America)
Blast Radius, Amsterdam: Hugo Boss fragrances
Possible, Cincinnati: Ambi Pur, Downy, Dreft, Era, Febreze, Eukanuba, Fixodent, Gillette, Iams, Clairol, Pantene, SK-II
MKTG, Cincinnati, creative, experiential: Olay, Orgullosa, Tremor
Organic, New York: Olay
Resource, Cincinnati: Head & Shoulders, Gillette, Venus
PUBLIC RELATIONS
DeVries, New York: professional hair care, Doctor's Dermatologic Formula, Fekkai, Olay, Pantene, Vidal Sassoon Pro Series
Taylor, New York: Tide
Brighton Agency, St. Louis, packaging, marketing, advertising: Natura
FleishmanHillard, Miami, New York, Washington, social media: P&G corporate
Marina Maher Communications, New York: P&G Olympics, Clairol, CoverGirl, Gillette Venus, Secret, Everyday Effect
Porter Novelli, New York: Braun
Ketchum, New York: P&G Olympics, Gillette
MSLGroup: Crest, Always, Charmin, Metamucil, Puffs, Febreze
Citizen Paine: Dawn, Duracell, Mr. Clean, Old Spice, Pampers, Swiffer
Mitchell Communications Group, Fayetteville, Ark., events: P&G corporate
DIRECT/SHOPPER/EVENT/OTHER
Jack Morton Worldwide, Chicago, experiential marketing, road shows: Pampers, CoverGirl
Integer Group, Denver, shopper, e-commerce: Cascade, Dawn, Duracell, Febreze, Gain, Braun, Gillette, Venus, Balsam, Clairol, Clairol Natural Instincts, Nice 'n Easy, Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Always, Bounty, Charmin, Pampers, Puffs, Tampax
George P. Johnson, Auburn Hills, Mich., experiential marketing: P&G corporate
Prodigious, Chicago and New York, production, retouching: Always, Bounty, Puffs, Tampax, Dawn, Dreft, Swiffer, Tide, Crest, Eukanuba, Oral-B, Vicks, Herbal Essences, Head & Shoulders, Olay, Old Spice, Pantene, Secret, Vidal Sassoon
GMR Marketing, Charlotte, N.C., sports consulting and event marketing: P&G corporate
Quigley-Simpson, Los Angeles, direct marketing: Align, Crest, Fixodent, Gillette, Iams, Metamucil, Oral-B, Pepto-Bismol, Prilosec OTC, Scope, Vicks, Bounty, Charmin, Luvs, Pampers, Cascade, Dawn, Downy, Dreft, Duracell, Febreze, Gain, Mr. Clean, Swiffer, Tide, Herbal Essences, Olay, Secret, myGive, Have You Tried This Yet?
Team Epic, Cincinnati, sponsorship, lifestyle and event marketing: P&G corporate
Wunderman, Washington, digital marketing, direct marketing: P&G corporate
MULTICULTURAL
Dieste, Dallas, Hispanic advertising: Orgullosa, Gillette, Duracell, Head & Shoulders
Burrell Communications Group, Chicago, African-American advertising: Charmin, Pampers, Gain, Tide, beauty products
Conill, Miami, Hispanic advertising: Pampers, Crest, Prilosec, Tide
Admerasia, New York, Asian-American advertising: SK-II
Lapiz USA, Chicago, Hispanic advertising: Always, Gain, Clearblue and Vidal Sassoon
Wing, New York, Hispanic advertising: Febreze, Downy, Clairol, CoverGirl, Olay, Pantene
MV42, multicultural media services: CoverGirl, Olay, Dawn, Duracell, Febreze, Gain, Mr. Clean, Swiffer, Clearblue, Crest, Pepto-Bismol, Prilosec OTC, Scope, Vicks
Tapestry, New York and Chicago, Hispanic and African-American media buying and planning: Always, Tampax, Clairol Natural Instincts, Clairol professional, CoverGirl, Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Lacoste fragrances, Olay, Pantene, Secret, Dawn, Downy, Dreft, Duracell, Febreze, Gain, Mr. Clean, Tide, My Black is Beautiful, Orgullosa
Footsteps, New York, African-American advertising: Gillette
Contributing: Jack Neff
