Things are getting spicy at UM, with the IPG Mediabrands unit being named media agency of record for the London, Ont.-based spice and seasoning brand McCormick Canada.
The win follows a September decision by McCormick’s U.S. consumer products division to award its media assignment to UM. “There was no formal competitive review process, but rather the client wanted to explore UM’s capabilities in Canada post the U.S. review outcome,” said UM president Shelley Smit.
UM’s Canadian office will handle integrated planning and offline buying for the London, Ont.-based company, which operates the Club House, Club House LaGrille and McCormick Gourmet brands.
McCormick Canada’s vice-president of marketing Andrew Foust said while there were some “natural symmetries” in partnering with UM in both markets, the company was impressed with the “high quality work” the Canadian agency has produced for clients.
“On top of that, they were also able to paint a meaningful picture of where they plan to take our brands through a variety of media platforms,” said Foust in a release.
“Our strength is in consumer brands, which helped us demonstrate what we could do for McCormick,” Smit told Marketing. “Working with great brands like Johnson & Johnson, McCain and Coca-Cola, among others in the grocery category, certainly contributed to earning McCormick’s trust.”
While Smit said it was too early to determine if any changes would be made to McCormick’s media mix or its approach, she said UM has learned how to “understand the signals” sent by today’s connected consumers.
“We take a creative approach to data to find the times, places, contexts and stories that matter most to people; combining science and art to create moments that drive real momentum for brands,” she said. “That’s where we’re aiming to take McCormick and its products.”
The account move comes almost a year after McCormick awarded its digital assignment to Weber Shandwick, which had been its PR agency since 2013. The assignment includes content creation, website development, video production and social media strategy in both official languages.
While 2015 was regarded as a huge year for media agency reviews, with several large assignments in play, Smit said the trend has continued through the first quarter. “It has been a busy year so far in terms of agency reviews big and small,” she said. “[There’s] nothing out of the ordinary though.”
