• by Steve McClellan , August 8, 2011

MediaCom has been awarded the planning and buying assignment from Spin Master Ltd., the large and rapidly growing Canadian toy company, for its adult-targeted games.

The client is based in Toronto, and MediaCom will handle the account out of its Burbank office, near Spin Master's Los Angeles operation.

According to Kantar Media, Spin Master spends about $75 million annually on ads, although only a portion of that is earmarked for the adult-themed game segment MediaCom will handle. It was not clear how much of the client's budget is directed at that segment right now.

Still, the account win is a foot in the door for a company whose executives have publicly stated they hope to dominate the toy business some day. The privately held company, established in 1994, has grown rapidly in recent years. Estimated revenues are now said to exceed $1 billion, up from $650 million just two years ago.

Among its biggest sellers are the boy-targeted Bakugan Battle Brawlers action figures and Air Hogs model airplanes. The company recently took on Mattel's iconic Barbie franchise with its own girl-targeted Liv Dolls. Spin Master has licensing deals with Disney and Viacom's Nickelodeon; it will launch a line of NASCAR merchandise next year.

The WPP shop has had an opening in the toy category since March, when it lost the $115 million Hasbro account to Interpublic's Initiative after a review. Hasbro had been a MediaCom client for more than 10 years. Tied to that account was kids network The Hub, the Hasbro-Discovery joint venture, which also went to Initiative.

Beyond indicating that the shop would handle adult-themed games, it was not precisely clear which Spin Master brands MediaCom would be handling. The agency referred calls to the client. An executive at the company did not return queries by deadline.

In addition to toys, Spin Master hopes to be a force in media. It recently launched Spin Master Entertainment, which is focusing on the development of children's TV programs and other venues.

Harvey Goldhersz, CEO MediaCom North America, stated that the agency was looking to utilize its expertise with entertainment brands "to bring Spin Master to new levels of success in this product category."