Coca-Cola South Pacific has refuted industry speculation, reported on B&T this morning, that the soft-drink manufacturer is putting its media up for review.

However, it has confirmed that it has pitched the public affairs and communications function to agencies. A Coca-Cola spokesperson told B&T that the company “regularly reviews its agency requirements” but was not “reviewing our media”.

Yesterday, B&T was contacted by a leading media agency who confirmed that the review included a number of facets of Coke’s business and insisted that the pitch had also included media. The agency boss – who asked for anonymity – said he’d declined to pitch for the business due to the complex nature of it, as it had included regulatory matters that the agency was ill-equipped to handle.

The media account is presently held by IPG Media Brands’ UM and IPG’s CEO, Danny Bass, confirmed to B&T that he was unaware of any review.

“Coca-Cola South Pacific regularly reviews its agency requirements to ensure we are working alongside industry leading talent in our various business functions,” the Coca-Cola spokesperson said.

“As part of this regular review process, we are currently assessing the requirements in our Public Affairs and Communications function, specifically the support of our community, wellbeing and sustainability programs.

“We are not reviewing our media, social media or government relations requirements as your article reported,” said the Coca-Cola spokesperson.