Friday, December 20, 2024

16891: Stellantis Stalling & Stale.

 

Advertising Age reported the Stellantis shootout for new White advertising agencies resulted in the automaker sticking with incumbent White advertising agencies—Doner and GSD&M—both of which rolled away with additional vehicle accounts.

 

So, Doner might be able to hire more Detroit-based talent adversely affected by General Motors’ decision to shift its business to White advertising agencies outside of the Motor City.

 

Also open for work are staffers at McCann Detroit, as that faltering shop likely vied for Stellantis revenue opportunities too.

 

Stellantis Keeps Doner And GSD&M After Creative Agency Review

 

The struggling automaker is still evaluating agencies for digital creative

 

By E.J. Schultz

 

Stellantis, which earlier this year began a U.S. creative agency review for several brands, will keep Doner and GSD&M on its roster. Stagwell’s Doner won lead agency status for Ram, while Omnicom’s GSD&M will keep Dodge and add Chrysler, a spokesperson confirmed to Ad Age. GSD&M was also assigned Alfa Romeo and Fiat.

 

The digital creative portion of the review is still ongoing. The incumbent on that business is Huge, the experience design and technology shop that Interpublic recently sold to private equity firm AEA Investors. 

 

Stellantis is conducting the review in-house under the leadership of U.S. Chief Marketing Officer Raj Register, who joined the automaker in June. She had served as CMO at Sysco Corp. and before that had a long career at Ford.

 

Jeep, Stellantis’ largest-spending brand, was not part of the review. Highdive is Jeep’s lead agency, but the automaker has yet to confirm which agency will handle the brand’s 2025 Super Bowl ad.

 

Detroit-based Doner has been a longtime Stellantis agency handling various assignments. It was among the shops that picked up more work for Ram after Stellantis in January cut ties with TRG, formerly known as The Richards Group, which had been with the automaker for 15 years. 

 

After Jeep, Stellantis spends the most U.S. measured media on Ram, which received $184 million in the first nine months of 2024, followed by Dodge ($44 million), Chrysler ($10 million), Fiat ($5 million) and Alfa Romeo ($2 million), according to MediaRadar.

 

The agency review comes during a difficult year for Stellantis. Carlos Tavares abruptly resigned the CEO job earlier this month amid a sales slump. Stellantis Chairman John Elkann is leading the company until a new CEO is hired.

 

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with new information on Alfa Romero and Fiat agency assignments.

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