Procter & Gamble, Britain's third largest advertiser (after the government and Unilever), has lowered its head and is stamping the dust over the mooted merger between ITV’s controlling duo Carlton Communications and Granada Media.
It seems the planned marriage – if permitted by competition watchdogs – is not to the liking of the Cincinnati-based giant which last year spent £138 million ($213.88m; €217.33m) on UK advertising.
Interviewed by national newspaper the Independent on Sunday, UK head of external relations Gary Cunningham recited the P&G partyline: “If ITV were to merge, one would have to reconsider one's options. ITV is a very important way of reaching huge audiences quickly, so it is difficult to eliminate from the schedule. But yes, we would be more inclined to look elsewhere.”
The merger is equally unpopular with the nation’s other advertisers and with agencies, whose respective trade bodies have been vocal in their opposition [WAMN: 14-Oct-02] .
Data sourced from: BrandRepublic (UK); additional content by WARC staff