Disney splits media duties to hand Zenith APAC work, bespoke unit to be created

The Walt Disney Company has picked Zenith to manage media duties in Asia Pacific, edging out incumbent Carat. In an internal memo to employees by chairman and CEO of Publicis Groupe Arthur Sadoun seen by Marketing, he said that a bespoke unit named Publicis Imagine will be formed, combining Zenith's media expertise with Epsilon's data offering. In addition to Asia Pacific, Publicis' appointment also covers Europe, Middle East and Africa, as well as Latin America.

Meanwhile, multiple media outlets reported that Omnicom Media Group (OMG) was reappointed to manage media planning and buying duties in the US for Disney Studios, and bagged media duties in Canada. It was also reported that Disney handed OMG media duties for National Geographic, ABC, Disney Channel, FX Productions and Networks, and Disney Freeform in the US and Canada. Marketing has reached out to OMG for comment.

For North America in particular, Publicis Groupe is expanding its scope, building on its ESPN duties to include the new Disney+ streaming service and its theme parks. The four-month pitch also saw Dentsu, Havas, Omnicom and Horizon participate.

"This was the most important pitch of the year. Disney were looking for an innovative, future-proof agency model to support the vision and demands of their business. We were able to demonstrate our ability to help them accelerate their transformation through a bespoke solution Publicis Imagine," Sadoun said in the internal memo.