• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, December 23, 2014

Sprint has selected Deutsch LA as its new Agency of Record, the mobile phone service provider confirmed Tuesday. The award came after a review that began about four months ago.

Sprint CMO Jeff Hallock said: “We are thrilled to be partnering with Deutsch LA as our new agency of record. We went through an intense selection process and we are confident in the capabilities of our new partner. They are a major asset to add to our agency roster.”

The review focused on TV creative advertising, which has been handled recently by Figliulo & Partners, which was awarded the assignment late last year. F&P replaced Leo Burnett, which still handles certain “below-the-line” chores like in-store and retail, which are not part of the review.

Nearly 60% -- or about $450 million of Sprint's 2013 advertising expenditures -- were earmarked for TV, according to Kantar. The company's total measured media spending last year amounted to $765 million, per the ad tracker.

The review comes after recent management changes at Sprint including most recently a CEO switch — Dan Hesse was replaced by Brightstar chief Marcelo Claure in August. CMO Hallock came on board in the fall of 2013, and has indicated that he will be leaving the company when it finds a replacement.

In January Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son blasted Sprint’s advertising effort in a guest column written for Nikkei Asian Review, in which Son said that “Sprint spends a large amount of money on advertising every year, but its effects have been almost negligible.”

For now, Starcom MediaVest Group continues to handle media and sibling agency DigitasLBi remains the company’s digital agency.

The agency review came a short time after Sprint ended its pursuit of a merger with rival T-Mobile.