BBH - Tesco
In yet another big move under new CEO Dave Lewis, Tesco has replaced Wieden + Kennedy as its advertising agency of record with BBH. The appointment, which is worth £110 million, means that BBH will be severing ties with rival supermarket chain Waitrose. The news follows last week's announcement of a major relaunch for the brand and a decision to close many of its larger stores to focus on smaller, local outlets. Brunswick's role as the company's financial PR advisor remains unchanged.
Tesco has replaced Wieden + Kennedy as its advertising agency of record with BBH
Lewis said they are “Assembling a small team of world class advisers to work on the turnaround” of their waning reputation and brand. He called BBH an “Outstanding creative agency with an exceptional track record.” He does, however, thank W+K for their “Creative contribution to the Tesco brand and the professionalism with which they are managing this transition.” Neil Munn, BBH Group CEO, said; “A unique opportunity has presented itself with Tesco and we are looking forward to working with Dave Lewis and his team.”
Bollore – Havas
It was announced on Wednesday that the Bollore Group is now majority owner of the Havas Group, having completed a deal that means it now owns almost 73% of the French holding company. Things are not expected to change too much, as Bollore has effective been controlling Hamas since 2005 anyway. Bollore began buying shared in Havas over a decade ago, and until recently held an ownership stake of 36.2%. In November last year, Bollore also made a tender offer for a majority but not all of Havas shares, which will still be publicly traded.
The Bollore Group is now majority owner of the Havas Group
Commenting on the deal, the Bollore Group has stated that it will allow the group to “Strengthen its stake in Havas,” and will also “Strengthen Havas’ shareholding structure and allow it to develop its long-term strategy.” The Havas Board approved the Bollore takeover proposal after reviewing an assessment by an outside appraiser, Sorgem Evaluation that concluded that Bollore Group’s tender offer would provide fair value to Havas stockholders. To what extent Bollore has an interest in expanding its holdings now that it owns a majority of Havas, remains to be seen.
Wickes – Iris
Iris London has been appointed as the lead strategic and creative agency for Wickes, the DIY and home improvement retailer, after a competitive pitch held by the intermediary Hamilton Associates. Iris will replace incumbent MWO. Carat will continue to handle the media account with Weber Shandwick continuing to handle PR. They will be tasked with leading the development of a new brand platform across all customer communications and redefining Wickes as it looks to deliver on its ambitious growth plans and become the UK's leading home improvement brand.
Iris London has been appointed as the lead strategic and creative agency for Wickes
Iris London CEO Dan Saxy, said Iris and Wickes share an “Ambitious and passionate ethos,” and that he believes Iris can “Deliver breakthrough work and a transformational partnership” to Wickes. Matthew Gaunt, Head of Brand Communications for Wickes added that “Strategically and creatively, Iris were the right fit,” and said they were “Consistently impressed by the way they approached the brief.” He is “Very excited to be starting this relationship with them.”
OSN – Leo Burnett
OSN, the pay tv network based in the Middle East and North Africa, recently named Leo Burnett as their creative and digital partners in a pitch process that also included Impact BBDO and TBWA\Raad. Digital duties will be handled by Flip Media, but OSN chief marketing officer Hamad Malik denied that the fact Flip and Leo Burnett were part of the Publicis group had any part to play in their decision. The first campaign to come out of Leo Burnett will be for the ICC World Cup 2015, which gets underway in February.
OSN recently named Leo Burnett as their creative and digital partners
Malik said of Leo Burnett that they saw “ Hw well balanced an agency it is, between strategy and creative ideas, and how strong a network it is,” especially in two of their core markets besides the UAE; Saudi Arabia and Egypt. He said it was also “The only agency in the review with a regional network,” and also “Presented a solution for engaging consumers in the Saudi market,” which was important OSN. Malik adds that “Overall, the creative ideas recommended, monitoring and reporting solutions recommended, and the social media strategy suggested (by Leo Burnett) was superior (to the other applicants).”
