• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, November 4, 2011

Philips Electronics has divided its estimated $500 million global media account between Havas’ MPG and Aegis Group’s Carat, which had been the sole incumbent.

MPG was awarded duties for the client's "Consumer Lifestyle" division (consumer electronics, appliances and other products) in North and South America, and Southern Europe.

Carat retained chores for that unit elsewhere and also retained duties for the company's Lighting and Healthcare units globally.

The company confirmed the selections Friday. In the U.S., the client spends about $350 million on ads annually, according to Kantar Media. It’s believed that MPG’s portion of the global assignment accounts for approximately $100 million in annual expenditures, leaving Carat to continue shepherding about $400 million of the account worldwide.

"Continuing our relationship with Carat is testimony to the strength of their strategic offering and the trusted partnership we have built in the recent years," stated Antonio Hidalgo, Chief Innovation, Marketing and Strategy Officer of Philips Consumer Lifestyle, who led the process. "The addition of MPG for specific geographies reflects Philips' focus on identifying strong local partners to deliver business results."

In July, the Netherlands-based electronics giant confirmed it had launched both media and creative reviews. The company did not address the creative review Friday while confirming the completion of the media review process.

Sources close to the situation said the creative review was still ongoing. A spokesman for the company did not immediately return a query about the status of that review. Omnicom’s DDB is Philips’ incumbent creative agency.

Delivering value with speed is the essence of this future partnership,” stated Sital Banerjee, Global Head of Media at Philips. "I am confident that Carat and MPG, together with our other marketing communications agency partners will form a formidable team, delivering value for Philips."

Philips last reviewed its media assignment in 2007, when Carat successfully defended the account. Omnicom's DDB won the creative account in 2003.