Saatchi & Saatchi awarded Pillsbury International assignement by General Mills

Among the brands moving to Saatchi & Saatchi are Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old El Paso, Betty Crocker, Latina (chilled pasta), Frescarini (chilled pasta) and La Saltena (chilled dough). These assignments were previously handled by Leo Burnett.

Saatchi & Saatchi will begin work on the new brand assignments by November 2002 in the markets of Asia Pacific, Europe, The Middle East, Latin America, Central America, Caribbean and South Africa.

"Saatchi & Saatchi was awarded these brands based on its strong creative and strategic capabilities and its proven performance in driving growth of General Mills' international cereal business," said Samir Behl, Vice President Marketing of General Mills International.

Saatchi & Saatchi was named 2002 Agency of the Year at the Cannes International Advertising Festival for the second year in a row. The agency currently handles a variety of General Mills cereal brands across 44 countries.

"This is wonderful recognition for Saatchi & Saatchi's global brand-building capabilities," said Mike Burns, Saatchi & Saatchi Managing Partner and lead account director for the General Mills business. "We have enjoyed a remarkable 80-year relationship with General Mills in the U.S. and we look forward to expanding that relationship through these brands in overseas markets."

Khamis Al Muqla, Chairman, Saatchi & Saatchi Middle East, commented, 'This is very exciting news for the Saatchi & Saatchi network and confirms that we are delivering what businesses across the world demand today, a combination of creative and strategic excellence and innovation. We are particularly looking forward to applying these to further develop General Mills brands throughout the Middle East region'.