Mondelēz International has named WPP Group and Publicis Groupe the two major winners in its creative review. The company said it will also work with specialist agencies in key markets.
WPP was an incumbent. IPG, another incumbent, will continue to work on Oreo globally, and on both Oreo and Ritz in the U.S.
The maker of Oreo cookies, Ritz crackers, Trident gum and other snacks says it is concentrating its global and local creative work with WPP, led by Ogilvy and David, and Publicis Groupe, led by Digitas, while also working with “a limited number of local ‘guest’ specialist agencies” in its key markets.
“The model aims for deeper, more streamlined relationships with our agencies so that we can drive our agenda forward with consistency and maximum creativity, whilst operating at speed,” Mondelēz said in a statement.
The agency appointments are effective as of Sept. 1. Agency changes will be phased in, with most of the transitions expected to occur by the end of 2020, Mondelēz said.
“We’re creating the basis for deeper strategic partnerships that give our local and global brand teams access to the best talent and best creative minds,” Mondelēz Chief Marketing Officer Martin Renaud said in a statement. “By sharing best practices and leveraging data and insights more effectively, our partners will be in a better position to deliver winning creative and digital solutions, with speed, to our global and local business teams.”
Mondelēz began reviewing its creative accounts earlier this year, following a media agency review in 2018.
Under the new arrangement, WPP leads chocolate, candy, powdered beverages and cheese. Within WPP, Ogilvy and David will be Mondelēz's main agency partners. Publicis, led by Digitas, will handle biscuits and gum.
Mondelēz will also work with "specialist" agencies, including VCCP in the U.K., as the Cadbury lead. IPG's The Martin Agency remains the lead creative agency on Oreo globally, collaborating with Publicis. The Martin Agency will also continue to work on Oreo and Ritz in the U.S. And BETC will work on local biscuits brands in Western Europe.
“Thanks to our ability to bring together creative, media and technology, to drive personalized creative experiences at scale, we were able to demonstrate that Digitas, powered by the group, was the right partner for the next step in their journey,” Publicis CEO Arthur Sadoun said in an internal agency memo obtained by Ad Age.
Mondelēz is the world's 91st largest advertiser, according to information from the Ad Age Datacenter. Its total ad spending fell 10.6 percent to nearly $1.25 billion, or 4.8 percent of sales, in 2017.
WPP and Publicis declined to comment. IPG could not be immediately reached for comment.
Contributing: Judann Pollack
