SYDNEY: Fragrance and beauty powerhouse Coty is conducting a global review of its media planning and buying duties, including its Australian account, currently handled by Hyland Media.
The global pitch includes Australia, confirmed Virginia Hyland, director of incumbent media agency Hyland Media, which is pitching to retain the Australian part of the business.
However, it was not clear which other agencies or networks had been invited to participate in the review. Coty was unavailable for comment at time of writing.
OMD holds the account in the UK and other overseas markets, but was not available for comment on whether it had been invited to pitch locally.
Local sources said incumbent Hyland Media had a strong relationship with Coty in Australia, and would be surprised if the account moved into another agency in this country.
However, overseas reports suggested the global review was aimed at streamlining global agency arrangements. It was reported that prior to launching the global pitch, Coty had already been conducting a number of local market reviews.
Coty invested $7.9 million in main media in the 12 months ending August 2009, according to Nielsen AIS, down from $9.6 million in the previous corresponding period.
Coty claims to be the world's largest fragrance company, with sales of nearly US$4 billion for the year ending 30 June 2009. It has offices in 30 countries around the world.
The company is divided into two divisions, Coty Prestige and Coty Beauty. Coty Prestige includes fragrance brands such as Calvin Klein, Chloe, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Jacobs and Sarah Jessica Parker. Coty Beauty includes fragrances from David and Victoria Beckham, Kylie Minogue, adidas and esprit.
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