Sanofi-Aventis put its global media buying and planning account up for review, a spokesperson for the company confirmed today.
The account review – and eventual assignment – will cover Sanofi’s “full range of brands” marketed globally, including all brands marketed in the US, according to Geoffroy Bessaud, a Sanofi spokesperson. The review is being handled out of the company’s Paris headquarters.
Bessaud said several agency networks are being considered for the account, but declined to be more specific. Publicis Groupe’s ZenithOptimedia handled the account prior to review, and Bessaud described the move as being “part of our regular activity,” adding that no underlying issue drove the decision. ZenithOptimedia could not be immediately reached for comment.
Creative agencies working on Sanofi-Aventis brands – which include other Publicis shops – will not be affected by the media review, said Bessaud. Haymarket’s Campaign magazine first reported on the account review last week.
According to SDI & Kantar Media figures, Sanofi’s media spend – on DTC and journals – totaled $182 million in 2009. The company co-markets Plavix, an anti-bloodclotting drug, with Bristol-Myers Squibb, and previously marketed bone drug Actonel with Warner Chilcott. An additional $151 million was spent marketing those two drugs in 2009, according to SDI data. Sanofi-Aventis turned over full marketing duties on Actonel to Warner Chilcott in April.
