Patrón has found a new lead shop.
The Los Angeles office of Mullen landed the assignment after a review in which Goodby, Silverstein & Partners was the other finalist, according to sources.
Media spending on the brand and two others that were in play—Pyrat rum and Ultimat vodka—totaled nearly $42 million last year, according to Kantar Media.
As lead shop, Mullen succeeds Cramer-Krasselt, which did not defend. The new agency—via its Mediahub unit—will also plan and buy media for TV and outdoor ads, as C-K had.
Mullen and Goodby, which had emerged from a broader field of about a half-dozen, declined to comment, referring questions to the marketer, who could not immediately be reached. Select Resources International in Santa Monica, Calif., managed the search.
In August, when the review began, Lee Applbaum, global chief marketing officer for the company, said he sought a "highly strategic and creative agency partner. Our selected partner will possess a track record of success in marketing luxury brands."
Applbaum joined Patrón as CMO in November 2013, after serving in the same position at Target for eight months and Radio Shack before that.
Print buying, digital creative responsibilities and public relations efforts were not part of the review and remain at 3 Plus Media, Razorfish and M Booth, respectively.