MILAN — Burson Cohn & Wolfe will be supporting Whirlpool EMEA with PR across 29 European countries, after the home appliance company selected WPP as its strategic communications partner.

WPP will put together an international, integrated team based in Milan, drawing on talent from across  its agencies in EMEA, including BCW, Wunderman Thompson, VMLY&R, m/Six, Geometry, Hogarth and AKQA.

Whirlpool’s decision to consolidate its creative, above-the-line, below-the-line, PR, shopper and digital marketing for all its EMEA brands – KitchenAid, Whirlpool, Hotpoint, Bauknecht, Indesit and Privileg – follows a competitive nine-month pitch process among six global networks.

The aim of the pitch was to identify a partner that could effectively leverage synergies across its international network to elevate Whirlpool’s brands and create leading consumer experiences across all touchpoints of the consumer journey.

BCW will be handling media relations, social media – including influencer engagement – events and awards. The agency's hub team will be based in Milan with the rest of the WPP agencies, and it will also use international expertise from its centres of excellence. BCW will have an international coordinator for the 29 markets included in the scope, also based in Milan.

Whirlpool Corporation’s EMEA president Gilles Morel said: “As we continue to evolve Whirlpool’s consumer-oriented marketing and communications approach in EMEA, we sought a strong partnership that is based on a deep understanding of our business and passion for our brands. We were impressed by WPP’s commitment to develop the right team for a long-term partnership and are confident their creativity and determination will strengthen our brands through a fully-integrated strategy for growth.”

WPP chief growth and marketing officer Laurent Ezekiel added: “Whirlpool’s challenge was to develop a best-in-class integrated team that could transform their business through creativity. Creative transformation is at the heart of our model and WPP’s strength lies in our ability to bring the very best talent together to help clients engage consumers. We are delighted to have the opportunity to build on our current relationship with Whirlpool to deliver on its vision for long-term growth as its strategic communications partner in EMEA.”