The marketer of cereal brands such as Cheerios, Coco Puffs, Cinnamon Grahams and Wheaties had worked with Universal McCann for a little over 12 months during its launch year in China.
It is understood that the shift was made without a pitch and comes ahead of a planned mainland expansion by the cereal marketer.
The current year is expected to prove critical to Nestle Cereal Partners as there are indications that the company plans to add new brands to its China portfolio and move beyond the launch cities of Beijing and Shanghai.
There are also indications that the company will roll out its brands in another four to five mainland cities this year once its China factory starts production.
Market sources claim Nestle Cereal Partners has had greater success than rival Kellog's in cracking China, a market that prefers its congee to cold cereals.
"China has one of the most chauvinistic food cultures in the world. It's very difficult to change China's eating habits, especially breakfast habits," said a market observer.