Service Corporation International, the nation’s largest provider of funeral, cremation and cemetery services, has selected Kupper Parker Communications to create a comprehensive communications plan to help promote its national branding effort. KPC will provide SCI with marketing communications services, which include strategic positioning and branding, and media strategy and buying, in an effort to increase brand awareness and sales.

Allied Domecq has awarded France's Publicis Groupe SA advertising business previously handled by Cordiant. Publicis Worldwide will handle marketing and advertising for all Allied Domecq brands except for champagne and wine.

MindShare has been awarded the media portion of Nextel's $150 million account. The company competed against Initiative Media, PHD and Havas' Media Planning Group (all NY) and Starcom, Chicago. Mindshare will take over the account in June.

Ogilvy & Mather has been named DuPont's full-service global agency. Ogilvy competed against Y&R Advertising, McCann-Erickson Worldwide, Foote Cone & Belding Worldwide and Saatchi & Saatchi.

Papa John's International Inc. moved its broadcast creative advertising account to the Zimmerman Partners unit of Omnicom Group Inc. from Austin Kelly, an Interpublic Group agency. The account is estimated at $45 million.

Lowe, New York has been named agency of record for Federated Department Stores' $20 million branding account. The account focuses on Macy's, and will include a new TV and print campaign. The company had previously designed their campaigns in-house.

Major League Soccer team The Columbus Crew has selected Bodkin Associates, Inc. of Indianapolis for its Hispanic marketing initiatives.

Comcast Cable has tapped Castells & Asociados Advertising as their national agency of record to support the company's first national marketing outreach to Latino consumers.

Crispin Porter + Bogusky has been awarded Virgin Atlantic Airways' $12 million account. Other agencies in the review were The Martin Agency, Mullen, Merkley Newman Harty & Partners and TBWA\Chiat\Day. Berlin Cameron/Red Cell withdrew last month.

Carat North America has been given media buying and planning duties for all Pharmacia products. Pharmacia was acquired by Pfizer, whose agency of record is Carat. The agency won the account without a review.