• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, March 28, 2013

Personal-care products company Kao USA has selected Spark SMG and sibling agency Digitas for separate assignments after a review, the client has confirmed. Spark was chosen to handle both online and traditional media duties, while Digitas was picked for creative digital chores. Both shops are part of Publicis Groupe.  

Kao USA spends as estimated $130 million on ads annually in the U.S., according to Kantar.

The company declined to elaborate on its reasons for selecting the Publicis agencies.

“I can confirm that Spark SMG has been selected by Kao USA Inc. for a consolidated assignment across traditional and digital media planning and buying for general and target market segments,” a Kao rep said. “They will be working with Digitas for digital creative.”

The last time Kao USA conducted a media agency review was in 2007, when it consolidated media planning and buying chores with Interpublic Group’s Initiative, which defended in the current review. It was not clear who the digital creative incumbent was, if any.

KBS+ handles the client’s off-line creative duties, which were not part of the review. KBS+ media arm Media Kitchen had handled planning before that assignment was placed with Initiative after the 2007 review.

Kao is headquartered in Tokyo, while its U.S. operation is based in Cincinnati. Its brands include John Frieda, Molton Brown, Jergens, Curel and Biore. The company reported net sales of nearly $14.8 billion for its fiscal year 2012, up 2.5% from the previous year.

For Spark, it’s the second big win in as many months. In February, it won media chores for Abbott Laboratories spinoff AbbVie with estimated annual ad spending of $310 million. Digitas also won a high profile account last month—the estimated $50 million-plus North American media planning, buying and analytics assignment for computer maker Lenovo.

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