• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, June 27, 2012

Unilever has awarded its global communications planning assignment to Omnicom’s PHD after a review, according to sources. The consumer goods giant spends more than $6 billion in ads annually around the world.

It’s believed that the client will confirm the assignment Thursday morning.

But the company wasn’t giving anything away as of Wednesday evening. A Unilever rep responded by email: “The review is still ongoing, and therefore it’s not appropriate to make any comments about the process. I will share with you the formal announcement once we communicate the outcome of the global review -- in due course.”

The incumbent is Mindshare -- which declined to comment, referring calls to the client, as did PHD.

The win is huge for PHD and dramatically boosts its profile in the package-goods category. The shop has had at least two pieces of Unilever business going back several years, including the client’s assignment in Canada. In December 2009, it was awarded Unilever’s media duties in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong after a review, where the marketer spends an estimated $450 million a year on ads. 

The global communications planning review began in January, simultaneously with a series of regional media planning and buying reviews that are still ongoing, except for North America, which was retained by Mindshare last month. Unilever spends around $850 million on measured media in the U.S., according to Kantar Media.

The company sells products to consumers in 180 countries and last year reported revenues of around $58 billion. Brands include Knorr, Hellman’s, Lipton, Dove, Vaseline and others.