Having placed its Cadillac advertising business in review, General Motors is looking for new advertising agencies to work on its iconic Chevrolet brand.
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“As Chevrolet moves quickly to expand its global presence it will reach out to a wider range of advertising agencies for new brand and product campaigns,” a spokesman told the Wall Street Journal.
GM’s search for a new agency is a blow to Cambell-Ewald, responsible for Chevy ad slogans such as ‘Like a Rock’ and ‘See the USA in your Chevrolet’, which first appeared in the 1950s.
Campbell-Ewald, owned by Interpublic Group of Cos (IPG), has worked on Chevy’s ad business since 1919 and the brand is is the agency’s largest account, the WSJ said.
The report said slowing sales had prompted carmakers, including GM, Chrysler and the North American unit of Volkswagen to search for new ad firms.
Campbell-Ewald will continue as the “lead agency in supporting product information, brand catalogues and retail support,” the Chevrolet spokesman told the WSJ. The firm would also will be able to pitch for the creative ad assignments, the spokesman added.
“We will aggressively compete for new Chevrolet opportunities to grow their brand and their business in every segment,” said Tony Hopp, Campbell-Ewald’s chief executive, in a statement.
GM spent US$794m on Chevy ads in 2008 and $290m for the first half of 2009, according to TNS Media Intelligence, an ad tracking unit of WPP.
