Mondelēz International plans to conduct a review of its creative agencies in the U.S., a spokesperson for the packaged foods marketer confirmed to Marketing Dive. The move comes as the company recently appointed Travis Freeman, formerly of Inspire Brands, as senior vice president 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 in the U.S., including The Martin Agency on Ritz and Oreo and Publicis’ Digitas on other biscuit offerings.
The Martin Agency has been responsible 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 big game last year. The new ad will air in the third quarter and promises a “refreshed creative direction” for the salty cracker. The Martin Agency recently became part of Omnicom as part of the ad-holding group’s acquisition of rival Interpublic Group.
It’s not unusual for agency reviews to align with marketing leadership changes. Freeman previously spent four 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 in the agency and technology spaces, with prior stints at Dentsu, VaynerMedia, Twitter and Uber. Halvorson, formerly Mondelēz’s global senior vice president of consumer experience and digital commerce, joined Tylenol maker Kenvue as marketing chief in the fall.
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 bright spot for Mondelēz during a challenging moment for large packaged foods brands while biscuits have struggled more in the U.S. Net revenues at Mondelēz rose 5.9% year over year to $9.74 billion in Q3, in line with analyst estimates.
