WPP ad shop Grey has been awarded lead global creative advertising responsibilities for P&G’s iconic Gillette brand after a nearly eight-month review, the client and agency confirmed
Monday.
The incumbent was Omnicom Group’s BBDO, which defended. Publicis Groupe’s Saatchi & Saatchi was also a finalist in the review. Weiden+Kennedy participated, but was
eliminated earlier. All of those shops remain on the P&G roster.
Globally, the Gillette brand is believed to spend hundreds of millions annually on ads. In the U.S., Gillette spends
about $145 million on ads, according to agency estimates. A worldwide spending figure wasn’t immediately available.
Gillette confirmed that Grey will serve as the agency of record for
the men’s Gillette franchise, which includes Blades & Razor and Personal Care divisions. The company also said that Grey will assume responsibility for global advertising and digital
communications and will serve as the global brand agency Leader (BAL) overseeing the integrated agency teams on the account.
In a statement, Gillette indicated that the company was
“highly impressed by the caliber of work across all of the agencies so this was not an easy decision. However, Grey’s work was inspiring and it best delivered against our key
criteria.”
Those criteria included the “power of the ideas to be heart- and mind-opening in presenting our brand.” Also, the company cited Grey's shop as
demonstrating an “ability to bring meaningful ways to both reach (and talk to) men in the evolving media environment.”
In a Monday memo to staffers, Grey Group chairman and CEO
Jim Heekin wrote: “We received the sensational news that Grey is the winner of the global Gillette account, one of P&G’s crown jewels, and its premiere men’s line… It was
one of the most high-stakes, most-watched competitions of the year, and this vote of confidence in Grey from our longtime partner, P&G, will resonate around the world."
Heekin added:
“This truly global effort was led out of New York and brought together dozens of our best and brightest from around the world.”
BBDO declined to comment. Going forward, the
agency will continue to handle creative duties on Gillette brands Braun and Gillette Venus and The Art of Shaving.
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