Another billion dollars out of the pockets of the holding groups and further confirmation that the market is moving faster. Little wonder they're  spending big on data and customer relationship management capabilities (Merkle, Axciom, Epsilon et al). Can they pivot quickly enough?

Less money for big ad agencies, more money for partners that can help P&G reach customers in different ways – and embed “habit and positive ritual” around its products, according to Ariana Huffington. E.g. a wifi connected toothbrush that feeds back to customers, or urging parents to sing to their babies while changing their nappies, or tell themselves something life affirming when applying deodorant, at least according to this Fortune interview.

Sounds right on, but it's making money for P&G. Pritchard says its brands that market around social purpose are realising double digit growth. "The reality is that there is a business case," Pritchard told Business Insider. "When you do these things, it does positively affect the business and growth."

In terms of traditional advertising, presently 95% of P&G’s $7bn budget, the world’s second largest advertiser is also reweighting spend in favour of reach. “Excess frequency is the biggest waste and in every aspect of our media we’re finding waste to allow us to be able to invest back in creating reach,” Pritchard told Marketing Week.

That view aligns with Australian media owners. SCA’s Brian Gallagher says in this week’s podcast that advertisers are increasingly refocusing on reach.

"You see a lot of people pulling back, unsure whether they have lost more than they have gained in the process of hyper-targeting audiences," he says. "We're starting to see sensibility return to the market around the purpose of reach. Reach is becoming more and more important."