The incumbents are Starcom MediaVest in Chicago and MediaCom in New York. Both shops are reported to be participating in a pitch with two other undisclosed agencies. Media buying will not be affected.
P&G's director of North America media and marketing Greg Ross said: "Given today's media fragmentation, we need to connect with our consumers and reach them at various touch points. Communication planning agencies will help integrate the many communication efforts working for us today. This will allow us to better understand and engage consumers with relevant information when and where they are most receptive."
The move comes as P&G announced that it was selling controversial juice drink Sunny Delight to JW Childs Associates, a Boston-based private equity firm. Terms of the deal, which also included the Purina juice drink brand, were not disclosed. JW Childs will create a company, Sunny Delight Beverages, to operate the business across eight countries including North America and Europe.
When Sunny Delight was launched in the UK in 1998 it was the most successful grocery launch of the 1990s, but subsequently faced criticism over its sugar content and a story that one child had drunk so much of the stuff she had turned orange.
According to TNS Media Intelligence/CMR, P&G spent $2.5bn (£1.35bn) last year on media. However the FMCG giant spent $4bn in the US alone on advertising and promotion.
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