Abbott Nutrition appoints Zenith to Hong Kong media business

ZenithOptimedia has already started work on the account covering Abbott’s prenatal (milk powder for mothers-to-be) and adult milk powder for boosting calcium. PHD Hong Kong previously held the business in a two-year contract. 

According to Admango, adspend for Abbott Laboratories' milk powder industry only in 2011 was US$26 million (HK$205 million). Research also found that many mainlanders travelled to Hong Kong to buy locally-made milk powder or other international products following the spate of food safety scandals in China. 

Sixty per cent of advertising expenditure in the beverage industry came from formula milk brands, which hit a 143 per cent year-on-year growth in August. Abbott Laboratories, in addition to other formula milk producers Friso and Mead Johnson, each spent more than 60 per cent of their advertising budgets on television. 

In partnership with its creative agency DDB Hong Kong, Abbott launched a TVC for its signature infant milk formula Eye Q Plus targetting Hong Kong parents and promoting the importance of children's brain development needs over intestinal health in September last year.

ZenithOptimedia also holds the Abbott Laboratories account in China.