Mondelēz International plans to conduct a review of its creative agencies within the U.S., a spokesperson for the packaged foods marketer confirmed to Marketing Dive. The move comes as the corporate recently appointed Travis Freeman, formerly of Inspire Brands, as senior vice chairman and global head of consumer experience, replacing Jon Halvorson. Ad Age first reported the changes.
Mondelēz’s portfolio spans snacks including Ritz, Oreo, Chips Ahoy and BelVita. The company works with several creative shops within the U.S., including The Martin Agency on Ritz and Oreo and Publicis’ Digitas on other biscuit offerings.
The Martin Agency has been liable for Ritz and Oreo’s Super Bowl work over the past three years. The agency is working on an upcoming spot for Ritz following the brand’s appearance at the large game last 12 months. The new ad will air within the third quarter and guarantees a “refreshed creative direction” for the salty cracker. The Martin Agency recently became a part of Omnicom as a part of the ad-holding group’s acquisition of rival Interpublic Group.
It’s common for agency reviews to align with marketing leadership changes. Freeman previously spent 4 years as chief media officer at restaurant giant Inspire, the owner of chains like Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin’ and Sonic. The executive also has a background within the agency and technology spaces, with prior stints at Dentsu, VaynerMedia, Twitter and Uber. Halvorson, formerly Mondelēz’s global senior vice chairman of consumer experience and digital commerce, joined Tylenol maker Kenvue as marketing chief in the autumn.
Mondelēz has been investing heavily in artificial intelligence to pump out marketing content more speedily and at lower cost, including through a generative AI tool called AIDA. Some of Mondelēz’s generative AI platform has been built with support from Publicis Groupe and Accenture.
Savory snacks, including Ritz, have been a shiny spot for Mondelēz during a difficult moment for big packaged foods brands while biscuits have struggled more within the U.S. Net revenues at Mondelēz rose 5.9% 12 months over 12 months to $9.74 billion in Q3, according to analyst estimates.
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