Optimedia has scooped the pounds 4 million Allied Bakeries media
planning and buying business following a secret pitch against the
incumbent, Zenith Media.
Optimedia heard last week it had won the media task for all of Allied
Bakeries’ brands, including Kingsmill, Allinson, Hi-bran, Ryvita,
Sunblest, Vitbe and a new product, Burgen, which claims to help relieve
symptoms of the menopause.
The media specialist will hold the business - with increased budgets -
from the new year.
Sales volumes have been falling and competition from imports has dented
Allied’s business base. A restructure of the bread business was
undertaken in May with the aim of concentrating on branded and own-label
products.
Budgets for 1998 are expected to top pounds 5 million, with more money
being ploughed into the premium Kingsmill Gold brand, which is now
head-to-head in the market against the white Hovis brand launched last
year.
The media rethink comes six months after Allied hired a new marketing
director, Frances Brindle, who joined from Anchor Foods.
The change in media specialist also comes just a year after Optimedia’s
sister creative agency, Publicis, snatched the creative account from
CDP.
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