Thursday, October 03, 2013

11488: More Omnicom Mergers.

Adweek reported Omnicom created a dedicated enterprise to service Nissan. Whatever. Hey, Omnicom invented a minority gang to handle multicultural duties back in 2008—although there was no mention of non-White activities in the Adweek story. Additionally, if the new Nissan United fails to please the client, the account will simply be shifted to Fathom Communications.

Omnicom Hatches Dedicated Unit for Nissan

Nissan United will be led by TBWA’s Jon Castle

By Andrew McMains

Key Omnicom Group client Nissan is getting its own dedicated unit.

The new group, Nissan United, will comprise staffers from Omnicom agencies that already work for the automaker, including TBWA (creative), OMD (media), Critical Mass (digital), Interbrand (brand strategy) and Emanate (public relations). Hahuhodo, TBWA’s creative partner on Nissan in Japan, also will be represented.

The new unit will be based in New York (inside TBWA\Chiat\Day’s office on Madison Avenue) and led by TBWA’s Jon Castle, the agency’s global brand leader on Nissan. Castle becomes president of Nissan United, which opens with about 30 staffers.

Omnicom forged the unit as part of a new three-year deal with the Japanese automaker. It makes sense that a TBWA executive would lead the operation, given that Nissan is the agency’s largest global client by revenue. Moreover, TBWA’s relationship with the company is longstanding, dating back to 1987.

Similarly, TBWA leads a multi-disciplinary division called TBWA\Media Arts Lab for Apple, another key global client. That soup-to-nuts operation is based in Playa del Rey, Calif.

In a statement, Roel de-Vries, corporate vp and global head of marketing, brand and communications at Nissan, characterized Omnicom as a strong partner and said the new unit is a “perfect setup to deliver on our promise of innovation.”

No comments: