Duracell puts global creative account up for review

After going through a formal RFI and RFP process, Duracell plans to bring on an agency partner to oversee creative for its global markets outside of North America.

Duracell has worked with Grey London on international creative for the last six years. The WPP agency is being invited to pitch for the business.

"Grey has been a fantastic partner to Duracell over the years and we are proud of their work," said Duracell CMO Tatiana-Vivienne Jouanneau in a statement. "In our on-going commitment to deliver exceptional marketing for the iconic Duracell brand and our unstoppable Bunny, we are now investigating creative industry networks in the form of a competitive pitch."

Representatives from Grey were not immediately available for comment.

The winning agency, which will focus on a portfolio of new products for Duracell International, is expected to serve the global brand marketing team from a "central agency hub operations" model.

The review process is being handled by Flock Associates. Flock also recently led the global Ford creative pitch. "This is an exciting opportunity, not only for Duracell, but also the agency landscape," according to Kieron Matthews, EMEA managing director at Flock. "Duracell are a world class brand with very high brand recognition, making the creative challenge even more demanding."

Two years ago, Duracell became the first of about 100 brands to be cut from P&G’s brand roster. Duracell was then bought for $4.7 billion by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, which had previously been a major shareholder in P&G. Jouanneau remained at the marketing helm of Duracell before and after its exit from P&G.

In an interview with Campaign UK earlier this year, she said: "Carving out a brand is like moving home. Home, not house – the difference is something built with the heart and not just with the hands."

"Start with invaluable items, what money can’t buy. For the brand – it is about brand character, it is the brand soul, the tone of voice. At Duracell, we have the Bunny. It was vital for me to protect him during the move," she said at the time.

On the other hand, an ownership change also presented an "opportunity to declutter," she added in the interview. "Be ruthless. Decide which projects to exit. Have the courage to shrink. At least 30% of your brand activities could be historical accumulation."