Coca-Cola South Pacific is reviewing its media account, AdNews can reveal.
The account of the soft drink business, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Coca-Cola Company, has been with IPG Mediabrands agency UM since March 2014, after it won the business from Ikon. At the time, when the agency was headed up by CEO Mat Baxter, UM also swiped the strategy slice of the business which was held by Naked.
The estimated ad spend for Coca Cola South Pacific was $15.9million according to Source Nielsen Ad Intel, from December 2017 - January 2019. However, it's thought to be closer to $20m.
A spokesperson for Coca-Cola South Pacific tells AdNews that the review is part of its regular cycle of agency reviews and its current agencies in Australia and New Zealand have been invited to be a part of the process.
“Coca-Cola South Pacific has invited selected media agencies to participate in an agency review process and demonstrate how they could support the Cola-Cola business in Australia and in New Zealand,” the spokesperson said.
“We want to ensure that Coca-Cola has the strongest possible media agencies in these markets, so we can continue to deliver fantastic campaigns from some of the world’s biggest brands like Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite and Powerade."
Other brands in the remit also include Barista Bros, Pump still water, Sprite and more.
The process is likely to take around three months.
AdNews understands that the current pitch is only related to Coca Cola South Pacific and not Coca-Cola Amatil, which includes Miller Genuine Draft Beer and Mt Franklin water products.
UM's Colour Your Summer campaign for Coke, which made waves when it replaced the iconic red cans with five coloured cans as a way to connect with teens, smashed its summer sales forecast and resulted in a 27% sales uplift above the national forecast.
The move, which sae the series of coloured cans flood the market at the start of the summer, was backed by an unconventional #colouryoursummer strategy, which for the first time in Australia /New Zealand saw the iconic brand entirely dispense with a summer TV campaign.
The campaign included various tie-ups with YouTube stars such as ChampCoong, Jamie Curry and Brisbane funny man Adrian Van Oyen. It also signed on for promotional activity with the hugely-popular YouTube star Troye Silvan, who engaged in a #colouryoursummer Q&A with fans on the video site.
The Coke pitch news follows hot on the heels of Asahi Beverages, which is also reviewing its entire media portfolio, including its Schweppes and alcohol brands. Those that throw their hats in the ring for Schweppes, which currently sits with Carat, would likely also be keen to compete for the Coca-Cola business.
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