• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, March 27, 2013

Columbus, Ohio-based Nationwide insurance company has put its media agency assignment into review, the company confirmed Wednesday.

The company spends $250 million a year on ads, according to Kantar. A rep for the company confirmed that it plans to spend more in 2013, given the strong competition in the space. Competitors include GEICO and Allstate.

Nationwide last held a media agency review in 2009, when it retained Interpublic’s UM for buying duties and kept media planning and creative duties with McKinney, now part of South Korea’s Cheil Worldwide advertising group.

Both media planning and buying are up for grabs, although creative is not part of the current review, the client rep confirmed.

Nationwide’s 2012 operating revenue totaled $22.4 billion, an increase of $1.7 billion compared to 2011, which the company said represented one of the largest single-year increases in its recent history. The company said  its net operating income soared 43% for the year to $741 million.