Cadbury Schweppes Taps Initiative

NEW YORK Interpublic Group’s Initiative here has won media planning and buying duties on Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages’ U.S beverages account after a review, the client has confirmed.

In the first 11 months of 2007, Cadbury spent more than $80 million in major measured media on its beverage brands, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus. The 2006 total spend was around $140 million, per Nielsen.

The other finalists were IPG units Mullen in Wenham, Mass. (which pitched via its MediaHub unit), The Martin Agency in Richmond, Va. (via its Ingenuity Media unit) and the incumbent, WPP Group’s Mediaedge:cia in New York.

Sources said the agencies were notified of the decision today. Roth Associates, a New York consultancy, managed the review.

“We are excited to embark on this partnership with Initiative. We know that they will provide CSAB with innovative media ideas and superior media thought leadership,” said Alice Nolan, vp, media at Cadbury Schweppes. “We thank MEC for their many years of service. They have been great partners.”

The four finalists emerged in late November from a field of six agencies that client executives visited earlier that month. Final presentations took place in early January at Cadbury’s offices in Plano, Texas.

Cadbury’s beverage brands include 7Up, Diet 7Up, Dr Pepper, Diet Dr Pepper, Snapple, Sunkist and Mott’s.