Johnson & Johnson has realigned its multi-million pound global
media business into the Interpublic Group, handing the pounds 18 million
UK planning and buying task to Initiative Media.
Its sister Interpublic shop, Universal McCann, will also pick up the
business in some European territories.
Interpublic handles the Johnson & Johnson media business in the US,
where J&J is headquartered, and now picks up the business around the
world after a J&J central purchasing decision to pool media resource
into a single media axis.
In the UK, the business moves out of BMP Optimum’s Solutions In Media
division and is expected to be taken up by Initiative during the first
quarter of 1999.
Initiative originally handled the bulk of the J&J media business,
including its babycare products, Carefree Panty Liners and Clean &
Clear, before the UK business was centralised into BMP in 1995.
The J&J win is the second coup for Initiative this week. The agency has
also won the pounds 60 million centralised pan-European media planning
and buying account for Calvin Klein Cosmetics. Initiative had previously
split the business with CIA Medianetwork, with Initiative handling the
TV and CIA the press business. The two agencies pitched head-to-head
last month for the combined account.
Initiative’s pitch was led by the agency’s European regional director,
Jeffrey Merrihue, and the Initiative team in London.
Roy Jeans, Initiative London’s managing director, said the Calvin Klein
win was ’a further endorsement of our press buying ability and of the
coherence of our network’.
It follows the recent wins of LVMH and Timberland, both press-driven
accounts.
