Hill+Knowlton Strategies | Agency Profile, Contacts, AOR, Client Relationships

• The announcement has sparked protests at WPP's offices among environmental activists concerned about oil issues with Shell.
• WPP has handled Shell's media planning and buying since 2005.
• Reportedly, Shell has invited multiple agencies to pitch.
• We predicted the company would conduct agency reviews a few months ago when it appointed marketing VP Megan Rosenbaum.
• The company will likely:
  • Conclude the agency review soon
  • Continue increasing national TV spend
  • Return to higher spend
  • Conduct additional agency reviews
• Target demographic: 
  • Millennials and Gen-X

Additional spending insights:

• Broadcast insights (TV ad creative spend, effectiveness, impressions, and performance)
  • YTD spend: So far this year, Shell has allocated roughly $1m toward national TV commercials, up almost exponentially from the roughly $140.2k allocated within the same 2022 timeframe.
  • Last year: The company allocated around $6.5m toward this channel in 2022 after having allocated only about a third of this, around $2.1m, in 2021.
  • 2023 ad programming: Shell's 2023 commercials have aired during the 2023 Indianapolis 500, IndyCar Series Pre-Race, and Jimmy Houston Outdoors.
• Digital and social insights (digital ad spend, effectiveness, impressions, and performance)
  • YTD spend: The company has spent approximately $1.5m on digital ads YTD, 38% less than the approximately $2.4m spent by this point last year.
  • YTD data: Since the beginning of 2023, Shell has earned ~166.2m digital impressions via Facebook (33%), Instagram (31%), YouTube (25%), desktop display (5%), desktop video (3%), and mobile display (3%) ads.
  • Last year: The company's estimated full-year 2022 spend, $9.2m, reached % more than that of $8.5m in 202121
• Additional channel insights  
  • The company utilizes Google Ads along with OOH, local broadcast, digital, radio, print, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and online video (primarily via Youtube.com) ads.
  • Shell invests in short-form DRTV.
    • It has very highly concentrated network TV coverage and will not likely launch a new campaign soon.

Additional agency insights:

• Opportunity: Get your pitches in soon and keep Shell on your radar for other agency reviews once this one concludes.
• Current agency roster:
  • EssenceMediacom: Media AOR (2005)
  • : Creative, digital, and social AOR
  • : Creative and PR agency partner

Insight Sources: Broadcast insights estimated by .