- Gregory Solman

LOS ANGELES Mitsubishi Motors North America said it has awarded creative duties on its $185 million account to independent shop Traffic here.

The other finalists, per sources, were Omnicom's DDB/LA, Venice, Calif., and independents Ignited in El Segundo, Calif., and WongDoody, which pitched from its Seattle and Culver City, Calif., offices.

Dan Kuhnert, Mitsubishi evp, sales and marketing, said in a statement that all agency finalists "demonstrated insight into the Mitsubishi brand, and had great ideas. However Traffic presents a keen understanding of how to leverage the strengths of our brand and the 'importance of now' which is extremely relevant in today's auto industry."

Traffic is backed by the Cimarron Group. The shop's creative chief Tom Cordner was the original ecd on Lexus at Publicis Groupe's Team One, El Segundo, Calif., and a former worldwide creative director on Ford for WPP Group's JWT.

At Traffic, Cordner pitched the Mitsubishi business with John Powers, former management director of the Lexus dealers association at Team One. Powers is president of Traffic and Cordner is co-chairman with Cimarron CEO Bob Farina.

Traffic's Powers said: "We can't wait to get started and help Mitsubishi tell its exciting brand story."

Select Resources International, Santa Monica, Calif., conducted the review.

The three-year incumbent, Omnicom's BBDO West, San Francisco and here, did not defend the business. Media duties, held by Omnicom's PHD, were not in play. (Organic's interactive chores on the nameplate are also shifting to Traffic, the client said.)
 
The Cypress, Calif.-based automaker spent $185 million in U.S. measured media in 2007, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus. Sources said the client has been clear about future plans to increase digital communications and cut back on broadcast marketing.
 
According to Nielsen, online spending quintupled to $10 million in the last three years. Incumbent Organic's digital creative portion of the business is also up for review.

The automaker has not announced plans for new models in the immediate future. Mitsubishi's sales are down 19 percent to 46,000 units through May, per Car Concepts, Thousand Oaks, Calif. The Lancer, down 8 percent to 13,000 units, leads all other models in sales; at 11,000 units, the Galant is the only model in the Mitsubishi line doing better than last year during the same period, up 14 percent.