JM Smucker Company Consolidates Ad Business with Publicis Groupe

After a pitch that reportedly involved a number of advertising's holding companies, Publicis Groupe has been appointed by The JM Smucker Company to manage its creative, data, media and technology business. JM Smucker is home to iconic US brands such as Jif Peanut Butter, Milk Bones, Folgers, and Smucker's Jams & Jellies.

The incumbent agencies are WPP's Grey, IPG's FCB and Dentsu's Carat. While it's reported that WPP and IPG both pitched against Publicis, it is not known if Dentsu were invited to do so. 

In an internal memo seen by Little Black Book, Publicis Groupe's chairman and chief executive Arthur Sadoun hails the decision as a success for the company's Power of One model. It's also believed that it won by an almost unanimous vote. The holding company will put together three teams from across its agency roster to complement JM Smucker's three main business pillars: coffee, consumer foods, and pet food and snacks. 

“We are thrilled to have a business partner the caliber of Publicis so invested in the success of our business,” said Geoff Tanner, SVP of growth and consumer engagement at JM Smucker in a statement. “The introduction of a single holding company partner allows us to truly embed them into our business, both at a strategic and an operational level.”

The Wall Street Journal reports that JM Smucker has upped its overall marketing budget to $580 million from $500 million, to allow for flexibility to try new types of marketing.

Publicis begins work with the company on January 1st 2019.