Today Mercedes-Benz announced its first major “global agency realignment” since 2006. The big winners appear to be BBDO, Merkley+Partners, and the custom team that will come from a “pooling” of creative talent in Europe.
The press release, in summary (thanks, Google Translate):
- Mercedes-Benz has established a “new agency model” based around three creative hubs: Europe, USA and China
- The company will create a new unit to handle its European creative after conducting “a screening of the European agency landscape”; efforts will be led by Kemper and Kroger in Berlin
- On that point, marketing head Jens Thiemer writes that the company made the decision after realizing that only “a tailor-made solution” could satisfy its “demanding goals”
- In the meantime, Mercedes will continue working with current European lead agency Jung von Matt until summer 2015
- It will also retain Merkley+Partners as creative AOR for the US
- BBDO, which signed with Mercedes in 2006 after working on some European projects for the company, will assume leadership of the company’s creative efforts in China
- BBDO International will also play a larger role in handling the “worldwide adoption” of campaigns created within the three regions
The stated goals of this reshuffling: better work and “a more consistent global implementation of campaigns” — hence the expanded responsibilities for BBDO.
The release also mentions “the growth of the brand”: the company recently reported that it sold 10 percent more cars this August than last despite a decline in demand within Germany itself.
The release doesn’t hint at a new creative direction for the business, but an October 2013 spot from AMV BBDO and B-Reel did include some unusual audio mashups.