NEWS: Bristol Myers orders dollars 60m review

Bristol Myers, the global toiletries and healthcare giant, has fired the

starting gun on a full-scale review of its creative and media

arrangements.

Grey’s creative work for the company’s Clairol haircare range and

Delaney Fletcher Bozell’s Mum deodorant account will come under the

spotlight. Bristol Myers is also reviewing its pan-European media

business and is considering centralising its dollars 60 million media

buying.

The UK media business is currently centralised through Zenith Media,

which also handles pan-European media co-ordination and the buying for

toiletries in seven local markets.

Bristol Myers is understood to be exploring the possible benefits of

centralising all of its media planning and buying for toiletries and

healthcare into one media operation across Europe.

The company has held initial talks with a number of pan-European media

networks and is expected to draw up a shortlist of agencies to pitch for

the business within the next few weeks.

The Clairol range of hair colourants and Mum deodorant are the main UK

brands, but on the Continent the company also has a strong healthcare

division.

Bristol Myers’ total adspend in the UK - the company’s largest European

market - was just under pounds 7 million last year. Budgets for 1996 are

understood to have been increased.

The advertising rethink comes as part of a wide-ranging global review of

Bristol Myers’ marketing services.

Christine Walker, chief executive of Zenith in the UK, described the

review as a ‘supplier audit’, of which advertising was ‘one small part’.

Paul Valdez, general manager for consumer products in western Europe,

said he had been talking to a ‘few other potential suppliers’. He added

that he hoped to have concluded the review by the end of March.

This article was first published on Campaign