UPDATED: Aegis has landed the US $3 billion (AUD $2.86 billion) global media planning and buying account for General Motors from Publicis Groupe, with local agency Starcom losing the Holden business to the Aegis / Mitchell axis.
The review was called in August and hands Aegis its biggest global client on a billings basis. Locally, Aegis handles the Nissan and BMW media accounts.
Harold Mitchell, executive chairman of Aegis Media Pacific, told AdNews no decision has been taken yet on where the Holden business will be parked within his local fiefdom, which includes his eponymous Mitchell brand, Carat and Vizeum.
Mitchell lauded the four year contract, worth $53 million in billings locally, and said it was a personal coup for Nigel Morris, chief executive of Aegis North America, who led the pitch. He also denied it would cause conflict issues among competing car brands.
"All of this has been prearranged and
all of our clients are comfortable with this arrangement. We've known
it's been coming for a while. It's fantastic win for Aegis globally.
All of our clients have been aware and all very comfortable," he
said.
Jerry Buhlmann, Aegis’s chief executive, said: "It’s a huge boost for our business and we’ll be focused on making sure it’s a huge boost to their business. Our strategy has been very much about highly-integrated media offers. That has resonated with them."
In a statement, Publicis downplayed the key account loss: "This Starcom partnership represents less than 0.5% of Publicis Groupe revenue on a full-year basis,” said Publicis Groupe in a statement.
"Although we regret this development, Starcom is working on a great deal of new business and will continue to grow. Publicis Groupe will serve GM on other fronts."
AdNews has obtained a copy of an email sent by Buhlmann to Aegis staff, in which he said the win is the "largest ever single media agency consolidation by a major global advertiser", adding it "further scales" the group's APAC operations.
The following is an excerpt from the email: "Our remit for the contract includes media planning and buying, search, social media and mobile communications and begins in April 2012. The relationship, across our three reporting regions - EMEA, Americas and Asia Pacific - covering a total of 140 countries, will be managed and co-ordinated by our Carat US global team from New York."
Follow @AdNews on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.
Have something to say? Send us your comments using the form below or contact the writer at darrendavidson@yaffa.com.au
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.