Max's picks up Carat for media planning

The Max's Group of Companies has selected Carat Philippines to handle its media planning and buying account, following a five-way pitch.The account is worth $US 6 million and was previously handled by WPP-owned Mindshare. Carat went head-to-head with Zenith Optimedia, Havas, Universal McCann in a competitive pitch for the business.Carat will be working on restaurant chain's communications planning and buying and digital campaigns starting 1 June.Max's flagship business is Max's Restaurant, best known for its fried chicken and iconic tagline "Sarap to the bones." It serves in 127 branches in the Philippines and 14 international outlets in the United States, Canada, Hawaii and United Arab Emirates. Max's Corner Bakery is a bread/desert spin off from the restaurant.Aside from restaurants, Max's holds licenses to operate two iconic US-based food brands - Krispy Kreme Donuts and Jamba Juice, which have been congesting malls and side walks with steady lines of hungry patrons."It's such a pleasure to be able to work for such an admirable and respectable institution like Max's. They've been a part of the Filipino culture, everyone has an experience with Max's and Carat will help them build new stories and share them with the next generation.""I believe our proposed strategy and positioning is very much aligned to the brand's rich heritage and vision, said Angelito Pangilinan (pictured), CEO of Carat Philippines, trumpeting its proprietary Consumer Connection System database used in media planning.