• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, November 28, 2014

Dentsu-owned 360i has been selected as Digital Agency of Record for Barilla in the USA. The agency will oversee the brand’s digital and social marketing, including strategy, content creation and Web site design, the firm said.

Barilla did not previously have an AOR for digital.

“360i impressed us with their track record, consumer insights and deep experience positioning brands to succeed in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape,” said Beth Reilly, senior director of digital and social marketing for the Americas, Barilla. “Digital and technology are driving everything today, and we needed the right partner with the right vision to aggressively move us toward putting digital at the center of how we win in the supermarket aisle.”

The Barilla award is the latest win in what has been a year of solid new business growth for the agency (which was named 2014 OMMA Digital Agency of the Year earlier this month) with new assignments from big marketers including InBev, Pernod-Ricard and Nestle’s Lean Cuisine. In September the agency opened its first West Coast office, in Los Angeles.

“What excites us most is having the opportunity to work alongside Beth and her forward-thinking marketing team to help a heritage brand like Barilla embrace a digitally led approach to its overall communications,” said 360i CEO Sarah Hofstetter. “We view digital and mobile as vital components of Barilla’s integrated marketing mix, and we look forward to working together to make an impact in the marketplace.”