Nestlé India has selected Publicis Groupe-owned media company Zenith India as its lead agency following a multi-agency pitch that included rivals Mindshare, Dentsu and IPG Mediabrands, according to people briefed. The local unit of Swiss FMCG giant Nestle is one of India’s biggest advertisers, with a media account valued at over Rs 700 crore. It recorded a turnover of over Rs15,000 crore in FY22.
Jai Lala, CEO of Zenith India, confirmed the development. “We are delighted that Nestlé has once again chosen us as their media partner and it is a clear endorsement of our strong ROI approach and our ability to deliver marketing excellence and innovation.” he declared.
Zenith India has managed the account for 17 years.
In April, Nestlé had requested a pitch from other agencies, and the two-month process ended with the packaged goods company’s decision to retain Zenith.
The mandate encompasses the full spectrum of functions including offline media, online media, commerce, search engine optimization (SEO) and analytics. “The retention is a testament to the strong working relationship we share with Nestlé…We have a deep and inherent understanding of Nestlé’s business needs and the strategic direction of its brands,” Lala said.
