Coca-Cola India hands media account to Lodestar Universal McCann

Coca-Cola has appointed Lodestar Universal McCann to its media account following a competitive pitch reported last week.

The pitch, which sees incumbent Madison Media ousted after 11 years on the account, was also believed to involve leading agencies Starcom and Carat.

Madison Media has handled the business, worth a reported US$44 million, since 1999. Coca-Cola currently works with Starcom in China and UM in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Korea. Carat handles the account in New Zealand.

Lodestar will be reponsible for providing integrated communication planning, media execution, strategic analysis and media tracking capabilities for Coca-Cola's entire portfolio of beverages.

According to a Coca-Cola India spokesperson, Lodestar showed the highest potential out of all the agencies that participated in the review process.

"We are very excited about this partnership and are confident that Lodestar Universal McCann will add value to our business," said the spokesperson.