Global consumer goods company Unilever has this morning announced it has moved its $A59 million media account from the GroupM-owned Mindshare to media and communications agency PHD.
Unilever’s brands in Australia include iconic household names such as Streets, Liptons, Rexona, Sunsilk, Pond’s and Continental.
The move, in another blow for GroupM who had held the account since 2011, adds to a burgeoning list of recent wins for the Sydney-based PHD team including mobile phone provider Amaysim, chemist chain Priceline and the Cancer Council.
It was Unilever that announced the move this morning. In a statement to media it said: “Unilever Australia has completed the review of its media planning and buying agency services, as part of the Company’s global policy to periodically evaluate media arrangements. The review included the current incumbent Mindshare along with PHD and Initiative Media. Unilever is pleased to announce PHD has been appointed as the media agency for Unilever Australia and New Zealand.”
It has been reported in the press that Unilever had been pitching its Australian business around for some time, while there has also been speculation that Mindshare did not even re-pitch for the business this time around.
