Coca-Cola shops for media agency, five in the race

This is the year of the big reviews.
America’s export and No. 1 global brand, Coca-Cola, is shopping for a media agency to handle its media planning, buying and control functions in the Nigerian market.

Officials of the global standard operation and World Class Company were on video conference with prospects and invitees for the review, intimating them with the process, expectations and expected schedule for the review whose final result is expected to be made known on March 9, 2012.
According to our findings, agencies invited for the pitch include the incumbent that has been able to hold onto the business for about 15 years, Lanre Fasheun’s Universal McCann; Austin Enwenmasor’s-led Mindshare;  and Tony Udenze’s Capital Media.
Others are Carat Media Perspectives and Starcom Media led by Emeka Okeke and Ayo Kupoluyi respectively.
While Universal Mc Can’s creative agency, STB-Mc Cann, was the creative agency on the Coca-Cola business in Nigeria for years, Mindshare’s Prima-Garnet Ogilvy is the incumbent creative agency on the business.
However, Capital Media is new on the Coca-Cola business just as Carat MP and Starcom Media.  
Suffice to say all are reputable shops belonging to advertising network groups in the country.  
Each of them is also aligned with and has access to global agency networks and their respective media proprietary tools.
After the initial credential presentations by the agencies, the five will be locked in a pitch battle to prove their ability to handle the business, which is as complicated as the Nigerian media landscape itself.
This strategy pitch phase is expected to commence February 25, while the final result will be announced early March.
The Coca-Cola global media business resides with Interpublic Group of Companies’ UM global based in New York.
The business has been with the agency since 1957 and works for it in 57 markets across the globe.
UM Nigeria is the affiliate of the global agency in the country.