Dive Brief:
- Coca-Cola is putting its U.S. media buying and planning business up for review.
- The brand's incumbent agency of 11 years, Starcom Mediavest Group, will be competing in the review against three agencies Coke works with globally—UM, MediaCom, and Carat—for the business.
- A spokesperson for Coca-Cola said the brand has been pleased with Starcom's performance, but that company policy calls for continual review of agency relationships.
Dive Insight:
An 11-year partnership is nothing to throw away lightly, but Coca-Cola is savvy when it comes to agency relationships. The brand is setting a good example by showing that even when agency relationships seem to be operating well, it's important to review the process.
Starcom recently lost big name clients Microsoft, Anheuser-Busch InBev, and Mars Inc. With these losses, the agency could be losing its momentum in the agency world, and Coca-Cola may want to explore the ramifications of that slide. On the other hand, the shuffle of clients is a constant occurrence in the agency world and shouldn't be too big of a red flag.
