- Steve McClellan

NEW YORK Publicis Groupe's Zenith Media has been awarded planning and buying chores for Jenny Craig, the Nestle unit that offers weight management foods and services, after a review, the client has confirmed. Zenith has handled many of Nestle's other media chores for several years.

Jenny Craig spent $70 million in measured media from January-October 2008, surpassing its total for all of the previous year, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus.

The incumbent on the account was Aegis Group's Carat, the other finalist in the review.

"We are aligning our assignments with the rest of our parent company, Nestlé, to take advantage of buying scale media cost efficiencies," said Scott Parker, vp, marketing and new business development, Jenny Craig. "This transition offers Jenny Craig a great opportunity to maximize our marketing budget reach and tap into markets that we have previously not had the chance to fully engage."

"Jenny Craig is a dynamic, marketing driven organization," said Tim Jones, CEO, Zenith Optimedia. "With their ROI-centric approach and focus on innovation, we feel that our relationship is a great fit."
 
The win is the latest in a streak of additions for Zenith in the last six months that also include Longhorn Steakhouse and Capital Grille, Ubisoft, Harrah's, Emirates Airlines and NuvaRing.