• by Amy Corr  @MediaPostOTL, April 30, 2014

Kao USA tapped Arnold Worldwide as its global creative agency of record for its John Frieda and Jergens brands following a review. MDC Partners' KBS+P was the incumbent agency on both brands. In February 2014, Kao USA placed its global creative account in review. Arnold Worldwide will be responsible for strategy and creative and begin work on May 1. "For us, this was a good match, because we share many of the same cultural values, passion for the target market and we both have a strong desire to innovate," said Pam Hamlin, global president of Arnold Worldwide. "This creative partnership will allow us to leverage technology to build stronger relationships with beauty conscious consumers." An agency selection for the Biore and Curel brands will be made at a later date. Joanne Davis Consulting assisted in the agency review process. Jergens spent $50.2 million on measured media in 2013, up from $38.4 million spent in 2012, according to Kantar Media. John Frieda, on the other hand, saw a decline in media spending going from $48.2 million spent in 2012 to $43.4 million spent in 2013, per Kantar Media.