MELBOURNE: Nissan Australia has moved its media planning and buying account to Carat, dropping 10-year incumbent Mitchell & Partners.
Nissan would not disclose the four shortlisted agencies, however Mitchell & Partners, Connect and Optimedia are believed to have been contenders for the account. Nissan spent $32.6 million on main media in the year to May 2006 according to Nielsen Media Research.
A statement from Ross Booth, Nissan’s general manager of marketing, said Carat’s strength in innovation and strategic planning pulled it over the line.
“We are delighted with the appointment and strongly believe that Carat will complement the activities of our existing agencies,” Booth said.
“Carat is ideally placed to help us capitalise on the many challenges and opportunities we will face in the next few years, particularly promoting the number of all-new vehicles Nissan will be bringing to the market.”
Nissan is Australia’s sixth biggest car company with a market share of 5.4%. In the 12 months to May 2006, Nissan sold 20,860 vehicles according to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.
Booth praised the efforts of Harold Mitchell, chairman of Mitchell & Partners, for the levels of professionalism and dedication he and the agency brought to Nissan account over the past 10 years.
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