Valvoline has selected IPG Mediabrands agency Initiative as its media agency of record.
“Valvoline has a strong 150-year heritage of innovation,” Valvoline svp, chief marketing officer Heidi Matheys said in a statement. “The media landscape is changing rapidly, and we are thrilled to partner with Initiative on new ways to reach our audience and maximize relevancy. After a thorough RFP process, we feel that Initiative’s strong combination of strategic thinking and analytics makes them an ideal partner.”
Initiative will partner with Birmingham agency Big Communications, which will continue serving as Valvoline’s creative agency of record.
“Valvoline is an iconic American brand with great heritage and one I feel honored to say is now part of the Initiative family,” Initiative U.S. CEO Amy Armstrong said in a statement. “Valvoline is a pioneer in its industry and is committed to delivering innovation and the highest quality products and services to its consumers. I look forward to seeing what we will achieve together.”
Valvoline spent nearly $10 million on marketing in the first six months of this year, up from a little under $8 million over the first six months of 2018 and over $14 million in total last year, according to Kantar Media.
Adweek’s U.S. Media Agency of the Year following a turnaround year in 2018 leading to an 11% growth rate, Initiative’s positive momentum appears to have continued this year. According to COMvergence’s first-half global media agency new business rankings, Initiative added $256 million in new business revenue and $50 million in retentions, balanced out by $128 million in client losses for the first six months of 2019.