Eli Lilly moves global media brief to Zenith after nearly 20 years with OMD

Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly will move its global media account to Publicis Groupe’s Zenith, Campaign US has learned. 

The decision concludes a review that kicked off in June and ends Eli Lilly’s nearly two decade relationship with Omnicom’s OMD, which has held the business since 2002. Campaign US broke the news of the review in May.  

"As part of our marketing transformation goals, Lilly aims to create remarkable experiences within the consumer journey, fueled by both human insights and data," a spokesperson said in a statement provided to Campaign US. "Lilly looks forward to working with Zenith, part of Publicis Groupe, as our new media agency of record. Together, we will partner to deliver these remarkable experiences to patients and help support the future growth of the business.

In addition to Zenith and OMD, which competed head-to-head in the final round of the review, the pitch included WPP and Dentsu, which were both eliminated in an earlier round. The review was led by MediaLink.

At the time of the review, an Eli Lilly spokesperson told Campaign US that “Lilly USA periodically reviews all major third-party suppliers and agency relationships to ensure our business is best-positioned for future growth." 

Eli Lilly, the maker of Prozac and diabetes drug Trulicity, is listed by COMvergence as spending $522 million on media annually. However, sources say the company has plans to spend in the $600 to $800 million-dollar range.

The win is another feather in the cap for Publicis, which has won major media briefs from Meta, Walmart and Stellantis in the past year, as global clients increasingly pitch larger integrated accounts. Zenith declined to comment and directed all inquiries to the client. 

Healthcare has been a big growth area for agencies during the pandemic as the industry shifts. Major holding companies have pointed to healthcare as a bright spot and are doubling down on their healthcare practices. 

This story has been updated with a comment from Eli Lilly and to reflect that Mindshare did not pitch for the account.