Energy giant Centrica has awarded its global consolidated marketing communications account to WPP after a review that began earlier this year.
The UK-based company spent an estimated $125
million on measured media last year. It has a major presence in the U.S. via its Direct Energy subsidiary, a retail electricity provider.
U.S. expenditures last year were about $17
million, down from around $25 million in 2017, according to Kantar.
The WPP team handling the account includes The&Partnership (creative), Wunderman (CRM) and MediaCom (media). The scope
also includes PR, data and analytics and other services.
Centrica issued a statement confirming the selection: “Following a thorough pitch process, we are pleased to confirm that WPP plc
will become our new global-marketing agency partner for all of Centrica’s consumer marketing. The new integrated model will bring together a cohesive strategy for all our global brands and
ensure our marketing efforts are more effective in meeting our customer’s changing needs.”
Teams from Interpublic and Publicis Groupe also reportedly competed in the pitch, which
was managed by ID Comms.