• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, February 18, 2013

Pet food marketer WellPet has selected independent media agency KSL Media to handle media planning and buying duties after a review, the client has confirmed.

WellPet spent nearly $3 million on ads in 2011, according to Kantar. The win comes about a year after KSL won media duties for another pet-related client, pet supply retailer PetSmart, which spends an estimated $75 million on ads annually.

Other contenders in the WellPet review were not identified. It’s said to be the first time WellPet has selected a media shop for media planning and buying duties. It wasn’t immediately clear whether those duties were previously done in-house or handled outside on a project basis.

"We were impressed with KSL’s insight into our business, strategic thinking and expertise,” stated Thano Chaltas, CMO at WellPet. "Our experience in the pet industry with PetSmart fit hand-in-glove with WellPet’s position in the marketplace," added David Sklaver, president of KSL Media.

It’s been a busy time for KSL in the pitching arena. Last month, client Bacardi put its media assignment into review; KSL is defending. The agency was a finalist in the media pitch for mattress retailer Sleepy’s, which awarded its business to Horizon Media last month.

WellPet markets pet food and treats brands, including Wellness, Holistic Select, Old Mother Hubbard and Eagle Pack. The company tracks its origins to 1873 as A. Hubbard & Son bakery in Gloucester, MA, makers of hard tack sea biscuits.

With offices in New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, KSL currently claims annual billings of over $750 million. Other recent wins include Frontier Communications and Roche Diagnostics.

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