Publicis Media wins global Google tech stack duties for Dettol maker Reckitt

Publicis Media has been appointed to re-sell Google marketing services for consumer goods and pharma company Reckitt on a global basis.

It is the first major win of its kind for the holding company and sees it holding on to business that has hitherto been flowing to digital marketing specialists like Brainlabs, Croud and Jellyfish.

Since securing Google Marketing Platform reseller status last year, Publicis Media has created a centre of excellence responsible for implementing and operating the full suite of GMP tools for clients. These include Display & Video 360, Search Ads 360, Campaign Manager, Google Analytics 360 and Optimize 360.

Publicis Media has been working for Reckitt since 2010, handling all media planning and buying through Zenith. Its other agencies, which will also have GMP reseller status, are Digitas, Performics, Spark Foundry and Starcom.

Rival network agencies are GMP partners at differing levels of capability, but only Publicis Media and Dentsu's Merkle are recognised as “sales partners” according to Google’s partner list.

Reckitt, which manufactures Dettol and Durex, has benefited from the eruption of demand for health and hygeine products precipatated by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, a Dettol outdoor campaign in September was criticised by some as a crass portrayal of professional life.

This week, in its first-quarter earnings disclosure, the company reported a fall in volume sales for health products compared to the same period last year, when the Covid outbreak was met with mass panic-buying. Reckitt said overall demand for Dettol remains “significantly higer than the levels seen pre-Covid”.