Danone Japan moves US$78 million media account from Hakuhodo to Carat

The decision for the pitch was made in the beginning of October. Yusuke Akiba, CEO of Carat Japan confirmed the win.
 
Danone has been active in Japan for more than a decade. Previously Hakuhodo worked the brand's media account for more than three years.

According to Carat Japan, The monitored media adspend for Danone in Japan in 2011 was about US$78 million.

Carat Japan will be responsible for all Danone brands, including Bio yoghurt, and mineral water brands like Evian and Volvic.

This will be the first time Carat Japan has worked on the Danone account, though Carat has been the brand's media partner in some parts of the European market.

It is understood that Carat’s planning capability and Dentsu’s acquisition of Aegis Group were some of the deciding factors.

In the Japan market, the yoghurt segment is dominated by local Japanese food manufacturers like Meiji and Morinaga. The mineral water category is also very crowded with MNCs like Coca-Cola and local brands.

For the Danone Bio yogurt, the French brand is using Japanese celebrity Marina Watanabe as its brand ambassador.