• by Larissa Faw , April 3, 2019

Ralph Lauren is shrinking the brand's global media agency roster from 12 partners to four following a competitive review.

Zenith will serve as global lead agency, responsible for overall strategy and buying across North America, EMEA and APAC. The Publicis-owned agency will work with three local partners for execution: PMG in North America, Forward3D in EMEA, and Dentsu in Japan and South Korea. 

This consolidation coincides with the brand's five-year "Next Great Chapter" strategy that seeks to reduce unnecessary costs and indirect expenses.

"We're driving into every cost challenging every vendor contract looking for scale benefits and consolidation benefits. We see that pays dividends as we move forward," explained Jane Nielsen, CFO, Ralph Lauren during a call with investors. 

At the same time, the company is hiking marketing spend by 10% year-over-year, all focused on digital channels. 

"Adds Arnaud Lauga, managing director, Zenith: "With an increased focus on digital, we can leverage our data and powerful insights to reach customers in new ways and build individual journeys at scale that drive efficiencies and transform their business.”