MANILA – December 20, 2013 – Mindshare has agreed to acquire Media Arts System and Services Company, Inc. (MASSCOM) in the Philippines. MASSCOM will be folded into Mindshare, which will be the agency of record for Unilever in the Philippines moving forward, Mindshare said in a press release. Mindshare now manages the Unilever account in 40 countries around the world, 10 of which are in Asia Pacific.
MASSCOM is a single-client media agency that was set up exclusively to handle the media business for Unilever 27 years ago. Its focus is on media planning and buying across channels. They have successfully delivered effective results for Unilever and forged strong relationships in the industry, Mindshare said.
Unilever, the leading FMCG company and top advertiser in the Philippines, has leading brands like Surf, Dove, Knorr, Sunsilk, Creamsilk, Rexona, Selecta Ice Cream and many others.
Ed Sunico, Unilever Media Director for Southeast Asia and Australia, said, "Mindshare has been Unilever’s global and regional partner for over a decade and with this move it will further strengthen our association. I look forward to brilliant initiatives for Unilever Philippines powered by the expertise of Mindshare.”
Mindshare brings strong global planning expertise, tools and research that enhance strategy development based on consumer insights. Mindshare also brings the advantage of the size and scale of GroupM.
Sunitha Gopalakrishnan, Managing Director, Mindshare Philippines, said, “With this acquisition, we are creating an unbeatable powerhouse with a combination of the relationships and experience of MASSCOM and the tools, systems and global network of Mindshare. The two agencies will come together under Mindshare to share a common vision to deliver thought leadership and service excellence.”
Rohit Jawa, Chairman, Unilever Philippines said, “MASSCOM is one of Unilever Philippines’ oldest and most respected partners and they have played a key role in every brand success that the company has achieved in the market over the years. Now with this new agency arrangement, we are confident that the new media team will excel even further by leveraging the team’s expanded capability and expertise.”
The new media agency arrangement will come into effect in January 2014.
