Jack in the Box Hands Its $90 Million Media Business to Carat L.A.

Jack in the Box has named Dentsu Aegis Network’s Carat L.A. as its media agency of record tasked with handling traditional and digital media buying and planning for the fast-food chain.

“Carat L.A. showed tremendous media industry knowledge and progressive technology that aligns with the challenger spirit of the Jack in the Box brand,” said Jack in the Box chief marketing officer Iwona Alter in a statement. “We feel the agency’s expertise will provide us a unique competitive advantage as we look ahead.”

“We’re thrilled to partner with Jack in the Box,” added Carat L.A. managing director Anathea Ruys. “We look forward to working alongside their talented team to develop media strategies to deepen their connection to their loyal audience and continue to grow the brand.”

The selection follows a review launched this summer and ends a 15-year relationship with incumbent Horizon Media, which participated in the review along with six other agencies.

“Horizon has been instrumental in building the Jack in the Box brand to what it is today, and we are extremely proud and appreciative of all that we accomplished together as partners,” Alter said.

Jack in the Box said in a statement that it focused on two priorities in the media review: identifying “a partner that will deliver a progressive and innovative media strategy that reflects Jack’s challenger spirit” and ensuring that “regional market support effectively integrates franchisees.”

According to Kantar Media, Jack in the Box spent around $24.5 million on measured media in the first quarter of the year and nearly $92 million in 2016.

Los Angeles agency David&Goliath has handled creative for the brand since it parted ways with longtime creative agency partner Secret Weapon, which created the brand’s Jack character roughly two years ago.