• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, August 25, 2020

Cox Automotive has awarded U.S. media planning and buying duties to Omnicom Media Group agency Hearts & Science after formal review.

The client is the parent company of online car buying and selling marketplace Autotrader.com and Kelley Blue Book the 96-year-old research unit that provides valuation estimates for used cars.

The company also provides an array of B2B services to car dealerships globally including CRM, inventory management, registration expediting services and more.

Autotrader spent an estimated $90 million on measured media last year and Kelley Blue Book spent $35 million according to Kantar.

Previously the company worked with both MDC’s Assembly and 360i, part of Dentsu Aegis Network.

Greta Crowley, vice president marketing for Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book stated: “We are bringing Hearts & Science on board during a time of growth and innovation... We are adapting quickly to the constantly changing landscape in this time of unprecedented business complexity and opportunity. Their deep industry expertise along with their insight-led communications planning process makes them an invaluable partner to help leverage the voice of our brands and inspire our customers.”

It’s the second win for H&S this week, having earlier been awarded media duties for Reckitt Benckiser’s nutrition division.