Following a review, MindShare was awarded the media planning assignment, while its Japanese partner agency Asatsu-DK picked up the buying brief.
Grey Global Group had been Bufferin's sole agency for the past 30 years, however, it retains the creative assignment.
Kunihiro Soh, Bristol-Myers Lion senior marketing director, said the shift was part of an overall productivity and improvement drive aimed at bolstering Bufferin's position as the leading pain relief brand in Japan. It has a market share of about 25 per cent.
He said MindShare and Asatsu-DK were chosen for two reasons. "Cost efficiency was one of the more attractive points for us, but they also gave us alternative ideas, including advertising in magazines, transit stations and websites."
Chief executive officer of MindShare Japan and North Asia, Mark Patterson, added that Bufferin was a major user of television.
"What we've managed to do is to deliver improvements where cost and scheduling are concerned - that is, getting the best airtime in terms of communicating with the most relevant audience to extend overall reach," Patterson said.