PHD has retained the media buying and planning account for Scandinavian dairy company Arla Foods.
The win follows a review of the company’s media arrangements earlier in the year, with the pitch process looking at team chemistry and competence, media strategy, planning and operation, co-ordination and service, as well as certain financial parameters. The Omnicom Media Group-owned network was first appointed to the account in the Middle East in late 2005.
“PHD has proven its mettle across the board and demonstrated that the trust we have placed in the team over the past few years was truly deserved,” said Kristian Lerche Nielsen, regional marketing director of Arla Foods MEA. “They’ve also shown they can keep this relationship as effective and exciting as it’s always been. PHD is more than an agency, they are a valued business partner with which we are proud to be working.”
Elda Choucair, general manager of PHD UAE, added: “When you realise that PHD was formed following the win of the Arla account seven years ago, you quickly understand how significant this relationship is to us. The tremendous amount of work from our team has highlighted the passion we feel for this historic partnership. We’ve approached this review as an opportunity to demonstrate how far reaching this association can be. We want to keep deserving their trust in our ability to make the difference every day.”
The review process also included a geographical expansion of the footprint to include parts of North Africa for the first time. Arla Foods is the manufacturer of brands such as Puck, Dano, Lurpak and Three Cows, with the MEA region one of Arla’s growth areas.
