After a global pitch, independent shop Hyland Media has retained beauty product giant Coty, despite the brand’s global strategy to stay with Publicis-owned media agency Zenith.
During the pitch Hyland, run by CEO Virginia Hyland, also picked up the P&G Specialty Beauty Business which in Australia, previously sat with MediaCom.
The P&G Specialty Beauty Business brand portfolio is currently being acquired by Coty, with the transition expected to be completed in October of this year.
Coty’s brands include colour cosmetics company Rimmel and Sally Hansen, fragrance labels Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs and Davidoff. Post merger, other brands to the hit the books include Covergirl, Max Factor, fragrances Hugo Boss and Gucci and haircare ranges such as Wella and Clairol.
The combined secured business for Hyland is projected to be about $20 million and Hyland confirmed to AdNews she will be on a hiring drive to bolster out her Sydney-based team.
The value in independence
Hyland confirmed to AdNews that indeed “indies live on for another day” and that the agency had been asked to submit a proposal for the P&G Specialty Beauty Business in addition to Coty.
“Hyland has been appointed to the new suite of P&G brands due to in incredible depth of beauty knowledge and success that we have driven for Coty brands in this market,” Hyland says.
“Coty Australia is one of the best performing countries for Coty globally and it's great to see a global organisation appreciating the value that an independent agency can bring to their business.”
Camillo Pane, CEO designate at Coty, says bringing together Coty and the P&G Specialty Beauty Business is expected to create one of the world's largest pure-play beauty companies with advertising and promotional spend estimated at well over one billion dollars. She says it’s expected to establish Coty as the global leader in fragrances, the second largest in salon professional products and the third largest in cosmetics.
It’s thought Zenith and and MediaCom were asked to pitch in the four major markets and then asked to submit what they could do if that was broadened to other markets.
Zenith takes 16 markets
Outside of Australia, Publicis Media, but led by Zenith, will work in close collaboration with Beamly, Coty's internal digital social and programmatic agency. The combined Coty assignment will span 16 markets, with Publicis Media responsible for strategy, trading, content and data and analytics for Coty.
With the completion of the merger, Coty is expected to have pro forma combined annual revenues of approximately $9 billion based on fiscal 2016 performance - and to be the “global leader in fragrances, with market leading positions in colour cosmetics and hair colour and styling.”
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