Packaged Goods

“Packaged goods may be down because of consolidation and retailers maxing out on product [differentiation],” said Chris Colbert, CMO of Boston consultancy Pile and Co. That said, personal care giants L’Oréal, Gillette and Unilever all had a busy year. The trio moved a combined $2.3 billion of the $3.5 billion in billings that shifted, and Publicis Groupe shops were the prime beneficiaries. Cost savings, not service, drove most of the moves. “Everybody’s got the jones for consolidation,” lamented George Hayes, director of client services at Universal McCann, which saw its half of L’Oréal’s $1.5