Maxus takes £21m Associated British Foods media account

By Mark Banham, mediaweek.co.uk, Monday, 17 December 2012 08:30AM

Maxus has won the £21m media planning and buying account for Associated British Foods' grocery arm, snatching the business from incumbent ZenithOptimedia in a competitive review that also included MPG Media Contacts.

The pitch process was managed by ID Comms and kicked off in September. The business will transfer to Maxus from 1 March 2013.

The WPP agency will now take control of media planning and buying duties across five individual businesses: AB World Foods; Allied Bakeries; The Jordans & Ryvita Company; The Silver Spoon Company and Twinings UK.

Brands in the ABF portfolio include Kingsmill bread, Ovaltine, Ryvita, Patak’s and Twinings tea.

Lindsay Pattison, chief executive of Maxus, said: "The pitch process was a fantastic experience and allowed us to really understand the businesses in the [ABF] Group and we’re thoroughly looking forward to getting started."

Sarah Arrowsmith, chief executive of ABF UK Grocery, said: "We saw some excellent thinking from all the agencies we evaluated but concluded that Maxus offered the most consistent balance of overall strategic and creative insight; with exceptional capability in relation to digital media channels in particular.

"We were also impressed with how Maxus recognised the unique requirements of the individual businesses within our group and adapted their internal structures accordingly."

In September ABF appointed Creature London to the creative account for its Jordans brand. The agency won a pitch against CHI & Partners, Dare and CST The Gate, and replaced Grey London on the account.

As well as Creature, ABF works with a number of creative agencies including Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO and JWT London.

The creative roster is unaffected by the awarding of the media account.

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This article was first published on mediaweek.co.uk