MediaCom has appointed Frances Ralston-Good as global account director for Procter & Gamble’s media planning and buying account in 30 markets around the world.
Ralston-Good, founding UK chief executive of Hearts & Science, quit the Omnicom shop earlier this year, but her exact role at MediaCom has only become clear now as she started at the WPP shop today (Tuesday).
She will manage 450 MediaCom staff across multiple P&G brands in 30 markets, including much of central and eastern Europe, a large part of Asia-Pacific, and parts of Latin America and Africa.
Among the agency's key territories for P&G are Argentina, Australia, Austria, China, Germany, India, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, South Korea and Switzerland.
P&G, which is widely regarded as the world’s biggest advertiser, splits its media assignments chiefly between Publicis Media, WPP’s Group M, Dentsu Aegis Network and Omnicom Media Group.
Ralston-Good is returning to MediaCom, where she spent the early part of her career in the 1990s when it was known as The Media Business.
She reports to Nick Lawson, the newly promoted worldwide chief operating officer, and Stephen Allan, worldwide chairman and chief executive.
Ralston-Good said: "I consider myself incredibly lucky to have carved out such a rich and rewarding career in media – and I couldn’t be happier to go back to where it all begun.
"I am extremely excited to take the next step in my journey by working with such an exciting client in P&G. Their groundbreaking and industry-defining work speaks for itself, so I can’t wait to get started."
Allan, who has spent 37 years at MediaCom, said: "Our belief in ‘people first, better results’ means we strive every day to help our people build careers. This philosophy not only helps us retain the best people in the industry, but also attract the very best.
"In the case of Frances, we are delighted to welcome her back to the MediaCom family as she takes the next exciting step in her career. I have no doubt she will flourish here, delivering growth for one of our biggest global clients."
Ralston-Good replaces Nihar Das. He is moving to a wider role within Team P&G at WPP, as well as leading MediaCom’s worldwide hub in Singapore.
Battling to adapt to the age of ecommerce
P&G, owner of brands including Always, Gillette, Pampers and Pantene, is battling to adapt to the age of ecommerce and the rise of a new generation of direct-to-consumer brands.
The FMCG giant said last month that it reduced its annual advertising expense by $350m (£290m), or 5%, to $6.75bn in the financial year to June 2019 by eliminating "waste" and reducing "agency compensation".
It was the third year in a row that the consumer-goods giant has cut global adspend, which has dropped almost $500m since 2016.
David Taylor, chief executive of P&G, told investors that he expects the company to become "more accomplished at performance marketing" as it targets audiences more precisely.
Ralston-Good led Hearts & Science UK from 2016 until quitting in June, and was previously a managing director of PHD UK and a top planner.
Hearts & Science launched as a CRM-focused, data-driven media agency in the US in 2016 after winning a chunk of P&G’s account.
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