Bangkok--27 Nov--
Sara Lee has consolidated its media planning and buying with MAXUS and MediaCom in the APAC region, following a pitch that included Carat, StarCom and Zenith Optimedia. The business will be shared between the two agencies, with MAXUS taking the lead in South East Asia and MediaCom in Australia.
The pitch process was managed by Mario Salvatori, Regional Vice President, (Body & Face care) Sara Lee and Accenture over a 4 month period. It covered 5 markets in Asia Pacific — and included key brands within the Sara Lee portfolio —Brylcreem, Moconna, Puresse, She and Eskinol.
“We are very excited with our final decision, and have always appreciated the strength of work and commitment that has come from MAXUS and MediaCom in this region. We now feel that we are in a highly competitive position for 2009 as we drive our business forward and take our brands further” confirmed Salvatori.
Regional alignment of the business will be managed out of Malaysia, with the assistance of GroupM CEO, Paul Corrigan.
"It was an exhaustive pitch process over several months and markets. The faith Sara Lee have shown in choosing the MAXUS/MediaCom solution is a vote of confidence in GroupM's ability to provide client specific solutions across agency borders" said Corrigan
As the incumbent in Australia, MediaCom has consolidated the total Sara Lee portfolio, growing the account significantly in this market. Previously the business was split with Carat.
"We're delighted to have won the consolidated Sara Lee business; it is the first opportunity we have had to put into practice what we as a team have been preaching since my arrival 6 months ago. To have beaten an international roster of agencies is a great testament to this and the direction we're headed. We're looking forward to getting cracking and putting our great pitch work into practice on Sara Lee's fantastic portfolio of brands." said Toby Jenner, Managing Director, MediaCom, Sydney.
MAXUS were the incumbent agency on the account in the Philippines, and now add responsibilities for Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia.
The transition period is expected to begin immediately.