Mars reappoints MediaCom and Essence for global media duties

Mars has retained MediaCom as its global media agency across its Mars Wrigley, Mars Petcare and Mars Food segments. The global appointment will run until the end of 2025. It also appointed Essence to manage biddable media. 

The reappointments follow a media review throughout 2021, which Mars said was a critical element of its new vision for marketing. Titled "Building Brands for Mutual Value", its vision includes transforming its approach to consumer engagement, data insight, digital marketing, and brand purpose.

Rankin Carroll, Mars' chief brand and content officer at Mars Wrigley and executive sponsor for media, said the team was impressed by WPP's commitment to evolving the network's own integrated team to deliver that vision, building on Mars' trusted partnership with MediaCom but adding in fresh, digital-first thinking from other GroupM partners, including Essence.

Following MediaCom's reappointment, Mars aims to drive an innovative media transformation plan across all its businesses, brands, and regions. According to Mars, it will focus on embracing the latest in data-driven planning, underpinned by WPP's Choreograph, which will bring its data enablement capability to help Mars evolve its content strategy and adapt to changing media habits. At the same time, MediaCom will be tasked with supporting Mars as a champion of brand safety and expanding its investments in inclusive and sustainable marketing through GroupM's responsible investment framework. 

Meanwhile, Essence will be responsible for developing Mars' approach to auction-based media. The agency will enable Mars to reach and engage consumers, and will be responsible for Mars' fast-growing programmatic video, social and search investment, establishing specialist hub capabilities regionally in Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Ron Amram, senior director of global media for Mars, said that the extension of its WPP relationship brings the partnership to a new level. "It builds on enhanced mutually aligned commercial terms and greater operating transparency which will enable us together to drive improved media effectiveness and real business growth we have designed a modern partnership that addresses many of the challenges of the 21st century digital age," he added. 

Mediacom previously consolidated its global media planning and buying duties into MediaCom, worth US$1.9 billion globally, in August 2018. The appointment was effective on 1 January 2019, with a transition period running from August until December 2018. During its appointment, the agency was tasked with handling media duties across most of the company’s portfolio, including buying for the US and China.

Simon Sadie, WPP's global client leader, Mars and client president, MediaCom said then that it is incredibly proud to extend its relationship with Mars after a decade of partnership, and is excited to embark on the next stage of the journey together. 

Photo courtesy: 123RF

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