• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, July 13, 2022

Omnicom's PHD has been awarded global media duties for tea marketer Ekaterra, until recently part of Unilever. Estimated annual ad spending by the company is $70 million.

The award follows a competitive pitch that began in March that also included UM and incumbent Mindshare. ID Comms was enlisted to manage the review process.

The remit includes traditional and digital media planning and buying (including commerce) for the Ekaterra portfolio. Brands include Lipton, PG Tips, Pukka, T2 and Tazo.

PHD will oversee media for the portfolio in 42 markets, including North America, the UK, Australia, China, the Asia Pacific, EMEA and Latin America.  

Unilever struck a deal to sell its tea division to CVC Capital Partners Fund last fall. The deal, valued at $4.5 billion, closed late last month. Ekaterra is the world’s largest tea business, with annual sales of $3.6 billion.

The Ekaterra assignment is the second portfolio win for PHD in recent months, following the award in May of the $500 million Restaurant Business International (RBI) account which includes the Burger King, Popeye’s and Tim Horton’s brands.  

According to sources, the pitch brief emphasized a “digital first mindset” and “deep understanding of the role that brands play in people’s lives,” combined with global resources to support multiple brands across 42 markets and four continents.

Aparna Sundaresh, Global Chief Marketing and Digital Officer at Ekaterra stated, “We were looking for an agency that understands that the interests of a green tea drinker in China, a black tea drinker in Russia, and an herbal tea drinker in the US are vastly different. We are confident that the combination of PHD’s consumer and cultural insights, and creative media strategies - all powered by the Omni marketing orchestration platform - will help our brands become a treasured part of the day in more households around the globe; and will help advance our goal of creating a world of well-being.”