John Ayling and Associates has won the pounds 21 million UK centralised
media account for Kimberly-Clark in a move which also results in
Universal Media losing a large slug of the business around Europe.
Aylings pitched against Kimberly-Clark’s other roster agencies -
Universal, Optimedia, J. Walter Thompson and the Network - for the
business in a review sparked by Kimberly-Clark’s acquisition of Scott
Paper earlier this year.
A pan-European media centralisation had been a possibility, but
Kimberly-Clark confirmed this week that it had decided not to pool the
entire dollars 60 million account into one network. Instead it has
chosen to centralise the business on a country-by-country basis.
Aylings now adds the pounds 12 million UK media account for Scott -
previously handled by Universal McCann in London - to the pounds 9
million Kimberly-Clark business it already handled.
John Ayling, the managing director of Aylings, said the win was a
testament to the job his agency had done for Kimberly-Clark over the
past ten years.
Universal - which also handled the Scott business on the Continent - has
been awarded the centralised media account in the Netherlands, while the
Network takes the business in France and the German media independent,
GFMO, picks up the account there.
An official statement from Kimberly-Clark said that the company had been
impressed with the agency proposals presented and had been ‘confronted
by some very tough choices’ as a result.
The statement goes on: ‘The company is confident that the final
selection represents the best solution for the business in each market.’
Kimberly-Clark’s creative accounts will continue to be managed on a
worldwide basis by Foote Cone Belding, J. Walter Thompson and Ogilvy and
Mather. FCB picked up the pounds 17 million European creative task for
Kimberly-Clark, including Andrex toilet tissue, from JWT earlier this
month (Campaign, 4 October).