Medifast, a manufacturer and provider of clinically proven weight-loss products and programs, tapped GKV, as its agency of record, following a review. Most recently, Medifast did not have an agency of record. The agency will work with the brand to develop Mediafast's 2015 multimedia campaign. GKV will handle market research, strategic planning, branding, creative -- both online and offline -- and direct response elements. "From the start of this very competitive review process, GKV's passion for our business and our brand came across loud and clear," said Brian Kagen, executive vice president/chief marketing officer of Medifast. "The GKV team demonstrated …

Nestle Waters North America named FCB Garfinkel as lead agency for its regional spring water portfolio, following a review. Nestle Waters' regional spring water portfolio includes the following brands: Poland Spring in the Northeast, Deer Park in the Mid-Atlantic region, Zephyrhills in Florida, Ice Mountain in the Midwest, Ozarka in the Southwest and Arrowhead in the West. McCann NY previously handled the work. "We are thrilled to welcome FCB Garfinkel to our agency family," said Tim Brown, CEO and president of Nestle Waters. "We are proud stewards of six American natural spring water brand names and are looking forward to …

Colle+McVoy was named advertising agency of record for Grain Belt beer, following a review. The agency will handle strategic planning, creative, media planning and buying, social media, and public relations. Grain Belt is owned and brewed in Minnesota by the August Schell Brewing Company. Grain Belt did not have a previous agency of record, but Haberman handled some creative work in the past. Colle+McVoy previously partnered with Schell's on an award-winning campaign to support Schell's Dark beer. "This is a very promising time for the Grain Belt brand and we were looking for a partner who could deliver out-of-the-box thinking," …

PF Chang's China Bistro named Olson its agency of record, charged with advertising, digital, media, customer relationship management, loyalty and public relations. Omnicom's Martin Williams previously handled the work. PF Chang's has worked with Olson's loyalty/CRM group, Olson 1to1, since 2013. Those efforts were so successful that the chain opted to shift its other marketing needs to Olson as well. "We've been very impressed with Olson's thinking and its execution in multiple channels," said Julie Elkinton, chief brand officer for PF Chang's. "They really understand holistic marketing and technology and bring that bi-lingual need to our business. We're excited about …

Melrose Credit Union, Queens, NY, tapped Darling Agency, New York, as its first-ever advertising agency of record, following a month long review. Previous advertising was handled on a project basis. Work consists of transit, online, radio and experiential advertising. Creative launches later this year, with a focus on mortgage lending. Agency selection was "based on the affordability, budgetability, comprehensiveness, and meticulous structure of Darling's proposal," said Rob Nemeroff, chief marketing officer of Melrose Credit Union. "Most important, however, was the first impression they presented at our intro meeting; courteous, professional, friendly." Melrose Credit Union spent $1.1 million on measured media …

Daiya Foods, a Vancouver-based manufacturer of twelve varieties of cheese and four frozen pizza flavors, all of which are dairy-, gluten- and soy-free, named TDA_Boulder as its agency of record. The agency bested three agencies for the win, following a two-month review. The incumbent was Fluid Creative, Vancouver. Work will consist of outdoor, print, digital and unconventional advertising, and packaging design for both existing and new products. First work will break this quarter. Daiya products are available in all 50 states and ten provinces, at 16,000 stores from specialty gourmet retailers to chains including Whole Foods, Safeway, Kroger and Stop …

Without a review, DDB Chicago was tapped by Kohler Co., a manufacturer of kitchen and bath plumbing products, to lead its national consumer advertising and creative strategy, primarily focused on the company's U.S. business. Arnold New York previously handled the account, which it won in 2012. New work is expected to launch early next year. "We have chosen to partner with DDB because they have a proven reputation of delivering innovative and highly effective advertising," said Elizabeth Brady, SVP of Global Brand Management at Kohler. "From the onset, DDB demonstrated a true passion and understanding of our mission to bring …

ACH Food Companies, a manufacturer of cooking oils, spices, seasonings and baking ingredients, named Chicago-based Upshot as its agency of record for consumer promotions and shopper marketing, following a review. The agency will contribute to planning and strategy, as part of ACH Foods' integrated agency team, in addition to creative development and execution for consumer and shopper programs across the entire ACH Foods portfolio, including Mazola, Spice Islands and Weber Spices & Seasonings. "Upshot showed a lot of passion for our brands and synergy throughout the review process," said Bill Puentes, Senior Marketing Director Oils & Baking for ACH Food …

CollegeInvest, Denver, named Cultivator Advertising & Design, Denver, as advertising agency of record and lead creative agency, following a one-month review. Media and SEO/pay-per-click will be handled, through Cultivator, by Explore Communications and Big Footprint Digital, respectively. The three Denver-based agencies pitched and won the account as a team. Pilgrim, Denver, was the incumbent agency. CollegeInvest is a not-for-profit division within the Colorado Department of Higher Education, dedicated to helping any Colorado resident who wants to get a college education. CollegeInvest offers several different tax-advantaged 529 savings plans, as well as matching grants for qualifying middle to lower income families. …

BlackBerry tapped gyro to handle the global relaunch and debut of its Passport Smartphone. New brand positioning spotlights BlackBerry's expertise in providing professional mobility solutions and security for businesses. Gyro created all of the worldwide sales and marketing assets, campaign guidelines and messaging for the integrated global "Serious Mobility for Serious Business" communications platform. BlackBerry also debuted its new flagship product: The BlackBerry Passport. It has a 4.5-inch square screen and touch-enabled keyboard that allows business users to "see the bigger picture." The "Work Wide" Passport campaign, also created by gyro, will debuts globally this month. BlackBerry spent $94 million …