• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, January 9, 2017

Tyson Foods has appointed Mindshare as the company’s U.S. media agency of record, responsible for planning and buying media for the company’s marquee brands, including Jimmy Dean, Ball Park, Hillshire Farm and Tyson Brand, the company confirmed today.

The company spent about $135 million on ads in 2015 and $127 million through the first nine months of 2016, according to Kantar Media.

The move was a blow to incumbent BPN, part of Interpublic’s Mediabrands, which had handled the account, said to be the agency’s largest, for three years. 

Adweek reports that as a result of the move, BPN is being folded into sibling agency Initiative. There was no comment from Mediabrands at press time.

A rep for Tyson stated:“Our decision to appoint Mindshare was based, in part, on our intent to centralize agency resources through WPP, where we currently have relationships with both creative and digital agencies.”  Y&R and Ogilvy both handle assignments for the client.

The Tyson rep added that while the food processor believes BPN “made significant contributions to our growth,” after a reassessment. the firm now feels that “Mindshare is the right media partner to support our ambitious growth.”

Tyson’s portfolio of brands includes Ballpark, Jimmy Dean, Hillshire and the flagship Tyson label.