Consumer health giant Kenvue begins global agency review

Just one day after Bayer announced a global agency realignment with IPG for creative, media and production, its consumer healthcare rival Kenvue has confirmed it is launching its own global review. 

“This is a planned integrated global agency review, inclusive of media, brand (creative, influencer, HCP, shopper and commerce) and production,” said a Kenvue spokesperson, when asked about the review’s timing and scope. 

Kenvue has also encountered significant new brand challenges in the past week, after U.S. President Donald Trump said pregnant women should avoid its famed pain reliever, Tylenol, over unsubstantiated claims that it is associated with increased risk of autism for the child.

Kenvue brands in India include the Indian-rooted ORSL, the global brands like Johnson's Baby, Aveeno, Stayfree, Listerine, Neutrogena, and Tylenol. Other international brands such as Band-Aid and Benadryl are also available in the Indian market under Kenvue.

The company reported $15.5 billion in global revenue in 2024, up only slightly from 2023. 

Since being spun off from J&J in August 2023, Kenvue has worked across agencies and networks including IPG, Omnicom (which are expected to be combined when Omnicom completes its acquisition of IPG in the coming months), Publicis and Doner.

In Canada, Tadiem’s OneMethod has been working on Tylenol, for example, while IPG’s bespoke unit OneVue had been handling media. (Neither agency commented on the review implications for Canada at press time.) 

The review, first reported by Adage Tuesday morning, appears to be, at least in part, about simplifying the company’s complex array of agency partnerships. 

“We are evaluating every opportunity to reduce complexity, improve execution and accelerate growth,” said the spokesperson. “We have initiated an integrated global agency review to advance our modern marketing playbook that positions our iconic brands to win in a data-driven, digitally-enabled world. 

“This initiative is designed to confirm we have the right partners in place to grow our iconic brands and best delight customers and consumers at every step of their journey.” 

Kenvue declined to comment on what, if any, latitude its national offices will have to retain relationships with local agencies, like it has done recently with OneMethod.  

Aside from the recent PR problems caused by the White House, 2025 has been a tumultuous year for the company. It began with a public challenge from activist shareholder Starboard Value, which was unhappy with how the company was being run.  

“Despite the company’s promising future prospects, Kenvue has suffered from persistent disappointing and deteriorating financial results, missed commitments, and ineffective board oversight, resulting in stock price underperformance and a significant valuation discount compared to peers,” said Starboard, at the time.

In June, it was reported Kenvue was exploring the sale of six smaller brands (for more than $500 million) to refocus on core products, which was followed in July with the firing of CEO Thibaut Mongon, a move that was reportedly intended to appease investors who had grown restless over the company’s direction.

“Kenvue also said that an ongoing review of strategic alternatives is advancing,” reported Reuters at the time. “The company has been seen as an acquisition target this year as it faced mounting investor pressure to boost performance or consider a sale.”

This article first appeared in Campaign Canada and has been edited for Campaign India.