Banco Santander has appointed Carat, owned by Dentsu, as its reference agency for the UK, Spain and Portugal.
Another Dentsu agency, Dentsu X, won the account for the United States and Poland.
The news was first reported by the Spanish news site Dirconfidential.
The wins followed a six-month international pitching process by Santander, called in October 2021, with plans to consolidate its media into a single agency across Europe.
Three agencies were involved in the final stages of the pitch process, the other pair being an unnamed IPG agency and a Havas Media Group agency.
Beginning its contract on April 1, the win means the Spanish bank has consolidated its media buying into a single agency partner.
Carat has owned the UK media business for more than 20 years and Havas Media’s subsidiary Arena previously managed Santander’s media in Spain and Portugal.
Dentsu also had an existing relationship with the brand in Poland, leveraging the creative services of the bank’s integrated advertising network.
Clare Chapman, managing director of Carat UK, said she was “proud” that Santander had chosen to partner with Carat and strengthen their relationship.
She added: “I am truly delighted that the strong foundations we have built in the UK have been mirrored across all regions by Dentsu, where we have consistently shown the benefits of our integrated network and talent when it comes to is about fulfilling Santander’s mission to help people and business thrive.
Santander is the largest bank in Spain and the fourth in Europe.
