• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, December 20, 2012

The Hershey Company is launching a global agency review for all media planning and buying, the iconic confectionery marketer confirmed today. According to the company, the agency review will be by invitation only, and all incumbent agencies will be a part of the review process. OMD is the U.S. incumbent.

The company spent an estimated $450 million on ads in the U.S. in 2011, according to Kantar Media. Global spending was not immediately available.

Earlier this year, company CEO John Bilbrey said Hershey plans to increase global ad spend by a low double-digit percentage in 2012, partly to support new campaigns for Jolly Rancher and Rolo as well as the new Hershey’s Simple Pleasures, which the company says has 30% less fat than some milk chocolate products.

A request for proposals will go out early next year and Hershey said it expects to complete the review by next summer. The review includes all paid media, including TV, print, digital and Hispanic for the U.S. business -- the company’s largest -- as well as Hershey’s growing global businesses. This includes the company’s key growth markets of China, Mexico, India and Brazil.

In a statement Hershey said: “As part of the company’s governance policy of periodically assessing strategic supplier contracts, this review will ensure it is receiving the most effective and efficient service. The review will also give Hershey an opportunity to develop a more globally integrated media planning and buying process as it continues to build and grow its brands around the world.”