Publicis awarded AB InBev US & European media buying & planning business

Source: © AB InBev ab-inbev

Adweek reports that Anheuser-Busch InBev put its media accounts into review last September, shortly after company appointed Benoit Garbe as chief marketer in the U.S.

“At the time, incumbent Dentsu, Publicis and WPP were the three companies up for the business. Now, AB InBev has announced that it has awarded a majority of the business to Publicis Groupe,” says Adweek.

Adweek adds: “In a memo from AB InBev, the company stated that it awarded Publicis Groupe and Dentsu with five-and-a-half-year partnerships, with Publicis working on the business in the U.S., Mexico, Central America, South America, Europe and Asia, and Dentsu continuing its work on the business in Canada and Africa.”

The 66-month partnerships with Publicis Groupe and Dentsu span nearly 40 countries worldwide.

The article also says sources tell it that Dentsu chose not to defend the business from the beginning of the review process due to ongoing challenging commercial terms.

“While no numbers have been given as to the size of the account, according to COMvergence, AB InBev had just over $700m in billings in 2021. AB InBev spent $845m on measured media from July 2020 to June 2021, with 31% of the total going to digital. In the largest market of North America, the company spent $518m on media, 25% of that on digital,” says the article.