One of Australia’s largest advertisers, consumer goods company Reckitt Benckiser, is changing its media buying and planning agency for the first time in 14 years, B&T can reveal.
Reckitt Benckiser (RB), who has a long-standing partnership with Publicis Groupe’s Zenith, is set to shift to Omnicom Media Group with final details of the new arrangement being thrashed out, according several sources with knowledge of the move.
Florence Paoli, marketing director of Australia & New Zealand for Reckitt Hygiene, confirmed the move to B&T.
“Reckitt in Australia has enjoyed a strong and valued partnership with Zenith for over a decade, marked by significant achievements across our media strategy. We’re grateful for the team’s dedication and celebrate the work we have delivered together,” she said.
“As the home of some of the world’s most loved household and healthcare brands, we’re excited by the new opportunities new partnerships can bring, particularly as we focus on driving consumer delight and category growth within our portfolios.
“Omnicom Media Group (OMG) is known for its data-driven, people-first approach, which perfectly aligns with Reckitt’s strategic vision. As we begin our partnership with OMG, we look forward to an exciting year of driving success, as well as pushing the boundaries of consumer engagement through innovative TV and offline strategies.”
Zenith Sydney managing director Jonny Cordony said: “We are incredibly proud of our 14-year relationship with Reckitt Benckiser in Australia and thank the team for the great partnership we built over this time. We wish Reckitt all the success into the future.”
Omnicom Media Group declined to comment on the closely guarded competitive pitch at the time of publishing.
Reckitt Benckiser was Australia’s fourth largest advertiser in 2023, according to Nielsen’s ad spend data. It is unclear exactly how much Reckitt Benckiser spends on media each year, but B&T estimates it could be in the range of $80 million to $100 million, given Nielsen’s high ranking. RB sits behind Harvey Norman, Woolworths and McDonald’s, but spends more on advertising than blue chip companies including Amazon, KFC, Qantas, Telstra, Optus, Google and Coles.
Reckitt Benckiser’s brands are spread across three divisions: hygiene, health and nutrition; and include Nurofen, Gaviscon, Dettol, Strepsils, Mortein, Air Wick, Harpic, Vanish and Durex.
In July, RB announced that it was looking to “sharpen” its product portfolio by selling some its home care brands, including Air Wick, Mortein, Calgon and Cillit Bang, which brought in around $3.77 billion of sales in 2023.
In 2022, Reckitt’s hygiene division brought digital media buying in house, leaving Zenith with non-digital media, including television. At the time, Reckitt Hygiene ANZ marketing director Florence Paoli told Mi3 that it was part of a broader digital transformation across the business.
This time last year, Mortein – which could soon leave the Reckitt Benckiser family – released its latest campaign for one of Australia’s iconic advertising characters, Louie the Fly. The “Louie The Flyhunt” app invited Australians to go on a flyhunt, scan the flies that they had killed to win a bounty of $10,000. Check out one of the old Louie the Fly ads below.
