Herbal sweets brand Ricola has awarded its £3 million TV account to integrated media planning and buying agency Arena Media.
Following a competitive pitch Arena will now handle the new Ricola campaign which is set to launch in the New Year and sees the brand invest £3 million on TV advertising across 2013 from an overall marketing budget of £5.5 million.
With impressive year-on-year sales the new campaign marks a move back to TV advertising for the Swiss confectioner. All media will be planned and bought by Arena Media with creative work being produced in-house.
Arena Media has been briefed to target women aged 35-64 and will launch with a roadblock of programmes on Sunday night.
Ricola country manager for UK and Ireland, Andy Richman, commented: “Arena Media was selected for their focused approach, consumer understanding and their stand out creativity.
"We were impressed with their strategic creative thinking, which we know will help us continue to grow our brand in 2013 and beyond. We look forward to working with the team.”
Pedro Avery, managing director at Arena Media, added: “We are so pleased to have been chosen by Ricola to be their partner as they seek to build their brand in the UK. Having not advertised above the line for the past couple of years, this is a great opportunity to make a big impact and bring back the iconic sonic branding.”