Beiersdorf, the German-based toiletries and cosmetics giant, is
planning a review of its entire dollars 200 million-plus European media
arrangements and is considering a centralisation of its media
business.
Beiersdorf, whose main UK brands include the Nivea skincare and
cosmetics ranges and Atrixo, as well as specialist medical preparations,
uses more than ten media agencies around Europe.
In the UK, the business - worth about pounds 6 million - is handled by
Carat, while in the home market of Germany, media for the Nivea Beaute
range is handled by GFMO, which was acquired by Omnicom last year.
CIA Medianetwork has the business in Italy, while Carat also has the
bulk of the account in Scandinavia.
Carat, Omnicom’s Optimum Media Direction network and CIA Medianetwork
are now all talking to Beiersdorf about streamlining the company’s media
planning and buying arrangements.
Beiersdorf is understood to be keen to rationalise its media suppliers
into a more coherent line-up and work to a central strategy.
A full centralisation is being considered, which would increase cost
savings and drive a unified media vision across all its markets.
However, a country-by-country overhaul is also an option, with local
marketing directors responsible for local market media suppliers but
working to a new, rationalised media strategy.
The idea is to bring the same sort of uniformity to media as Beiersdorf
has with its creative agencies. Creative work, through TBWA and FCB, is
heavily centralised, with treatments running across all European
markets.
The media rethink is still in its early stages and no pitches have yet
been made. However, the review is now expected to speed up and a
decision is likely to be made before the end of the year.
A spokeswoman for Nivea denied the review and refused to comment
further.
