- Steve McClellan

NEW YORK WPP Group's Mediaedge:cia has added North American media planning and buying duties for Playtex Products, a unit of Energizer Holdings, without a review, the client has confirmed.

Sister shop MediaCom was the incumbent. The client spent $60 million last year in domestic measured media, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.

In February 2007, the client consolidated North American media chores on its two biggest units -- Energizer Batteries and Schick-Wilkinson Sword -- at MEC after a review. Aegis Group's Carat was the incumbent on the Schick-Wilkinson business, while Omnicom's PHD had handled the Energizer division.

Combined, the battery and razor units spend $130 million annually ads, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus. The consolidated account including the Playtex business is about $190 million.

In a statement, MEC said the move was made collaboratively among client and sister shops "in order to consolidate and best align marketing resources on behalf of the client."

As a result, MEC ads the Playtex line of infant and feminine care products and Banana Boat sunscreen products. Not included is the line of Playtex bras, which is licensed to and marketed separately by Hanesbrands.