German company Henkel, which owns consumer brands including Persil, Perwoll, Bref, Schwarzkopf and Syoss, has consolidated its $825 million European media account with WPP Media following a competitive review.
WPP Media already held 17 markets, including the UK, and has now won an additional 13 to make a total of 30 markets.
The new remit covers Austria, Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Romania, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Ukraine.
WPP won the business in a pitch against Omnicom – the incumbent in some of the markets including Italy, which it won in a review last year, and Sweden, Denmark, Greece, Croatia and Austria.
Group M, which rebranded to WPP Media in May, won eight markets effective from January this year after the late 2024 review, after already holding nine. WPP's share of the account was then understood to be worth €500 million.
Prior to the latest win, WPP Media's remit covered the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia and Lithuania, and since January: Poland, France, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Slovenia and Cyprus.
The review began in June and centred on “reimagining the future of media” and AI.
In a note to staff on November 20, Brian Lesser, CEO of WPP Media, called the win “critical” and cited its Open Media Studio, which delivered more than 900 campaigns for Henkel over the last 11 months.
Lesser said: “As a result, [Henkel is] now excited to onboard the rest of their European markets with our platform.”
Open Media Studio is a connected media and data platform.
Cindy Rose, chief executive of WPP, said: “This expanded consolidation is testament to the strong results we’ve delivered through WPP Open and our commitment to truly transformative media solutions. Henkel’s vision for modern marketing, fueled by AI and focused on audience-led activation, perfectly aligns with our capabilities and we are excited to continue driving significant value and sustainable growth for their iconic brands across this critical region and beyond.”
WPP Media will lead Henkel’s digital media activation across all 30 markets out of Düsseldorf and London.
Campaign has reached out to Omnicom for comment.
