Tesco retains EssenceMediacom following performance power-up

Tesco has appointed EssenceMediacom as its retained media agency following a three-month competitive pitch process.

The move is also a validation of the recent merger between two media agencies – essence and MediaCom – with hertitages across both performance and brand marketing.

The win covers Tesco's media planning and buying across mobile, bank, and retail businesses in the UK, Ireland, Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia.

Tesco spends more than £80m a year on advertising, according to estimates by Nielsen.

The confirmation of the continued partnership follows the award-winning work achieved together since 2015, including the latest 2022 Cannes Lion Bronze for ‘This is Ramadan’ campaign in partnership with BBH, and most recent IPA Effectiveness Silver and The Channon Prize Awards for the latest instalment of ‘Food Love Stories’ – a long-term multi-channel campaign drive spanning five years.

"This pitch process has allowed us to showcase the new thinking”

Kate Rowlinson, Chief Executive Officer, MediaCom UK, said: “Tesco brings out the very best in us, our people, and our agency and the results we have achieved together over the last seven years are testament to that.

“This pitch process has allowed us to showcase the new thinking, talent, and capability coming from the creation of EssenceMediacom – a new breed of agency – and how we can utilise this to create growth, innovation, and transformation for our clients. Tesco is a formidable organisation, with a serious focus on excellent marketing. We are so proud to be continuing our work together.”

The final stage of the pitch process was between EssenceMediacom and Publicis-owned Media agency Zenith.

Alessandra Bellini, Chief Customer Officer at Tesco, said: “We know that these are challenging times for customers everywhere and we believe that impactful and relevant communication combined with constantly exploring trends and technologies is very important to help us reach our customers across all parts of the Tesco group. This collaboration with Essence and Mediacom will help us be better prepared for the current and future opportunities."