Intersnack awards global media to PHD across 26 markets after eight-month review

Snack food giant Intersnack Group, owner of brands including Kettle, Tyrrell’s, Chio and McCoy’s, has awarded its global media business to Omnicom Media Group agency PHD after an eight-month review.

The remit spans 26 markets across Europe, the UK and Australia/New Zealand, covering cross-screen media planning and buying, performance marketing and shoppable media. The incumbent was Publicis’ CitrusAd, acquired by Epsilon in 2021, though Intersnack said it continues to work with the business in some capacity. The pitch was run with consultancy Independent Media Guides (IMEDIAG).

Intersnack said PHD distinguished itself on commercial, strategic and technical strengths, particularly its ability to leverage AI and technology to drive media transformation and business outcomes. Other decision drivers included consistency across multiple markets, client service and buying performance enabled by Omnicom’s Omni marketing orchestration platform, and a proven ability to build “mental availability” for its brands.

“Over the past months, Intersnack Group has conducted an international media pitch. We would like to sincerely thank all participating agencies for their strong contributions and high level of professionalism. After a thorough evaluation process, PHD distinguished itself through its commercial, strategic, and technical strengths and has proven to be an excellent partner for the future,” Maciej Szyszkowski, international director media and digital, Intersnack Group, said.

The partnership will official start on January 1, 2026.

Kevin McNair, marketing director of KP Snacks UK, added said Intersnack was impressed by PHD’s understanding of the challenges and opportunities the group is facing. "Their strategic approach demonstrated not only a clear grasp of the category landscape but also a forward-thinking perspective on how to tackle industry headwinds.”

For PHD, the win extends a strong 2025 run. Year-to-date, the network has added Skechers in China, Starbucks in Indonesia and Malaysia, and Spirit of Tasmania in Australia, while expanding its US remit with Burger King to Canada and successfully defending Kimberly-Clark in EMEA.

“Intersnack Group presented us with a very clearly defined challenge of accelerating media transformation on three levels: media as an investment that drives business outcomes in a measurable way; building Mental Availability for Intersnack brands; and implanting data-driven and precision-at-scale principles at all stages of the process,” Susanne Grundmann, CEO, PHD EMEA, said.

“As their media agency of record, we will be leveraging the power of our Intelligence. Connected offer to deliver against each of these levels, bringing together the best strategic talent and innovative technology from across our network, group and holding company to drive media effectiveness and maximize media ROI.”

Intersnack is one of the largest snack manufacturers in Europe and Oceania, employing more than 15,000 people across operations in 31 countries. Its 30 brands are consumed by around 15 million people each day, generating sales of more than €4.5 billion (US$5.3b) in 2024.

The Intersnack pitch was led by PHD EMEA, with the new contract taking effect 1 January 2026.