What: Ford & WPP’s global partnership is being reviewed and may be extended in 2018. However, a final decision has not been made yet. Separately, Adage reported that Ford has moved outside of WPP for help on a new campaign for its Lincoln brand, tapping Laundry Service, a Wasserman Media Group-owned New York-based shop. The shop’s content studio, called Cycle, was hired to handle social media for a new campaign for the redesigned 2018 Lincoln Navigator SUV, a Lincoln spokesman confirmed.
Why it matters: Ford is WPP’s biggest global client for both creative and media services. Last February, WPP acquired U.S Hispanic shop Zubi Advertising to handle Ford’s multicultural account.
Ford Motor Company verbally informed WPP that they are considering their future internal and external marketing model and want to enter into a further agreement with WPP for a period to be agreed in 2018.
According to a brief statement, WPP is considering the proposal and is in discussion with Ford on next steps.
GTB (Global Team Blue) is the result of agencies Team Detroit, Blue Hive (the WPP units that serve Ford outside the U.S.) and Retail First merger under a single global identity. Currently, GTB operates on six continents and has 49 offices. It is integrated across most communications disciplines and is WPP’s largest agency team. It’s one of 48 WPP global client teams.GTB also services other clients including Purina and Johnson Controls.
Ford told Reuters in a statement that WPP’s staff were “trusted partners and curators of the Ford brand”, and added: “As we are across the Ford business, we are exploring options to improve the fitness of our marketing and advertising operations. No decisions have been made.”
In separate but related news, Adage reported that Ford has moved outside of WPP for help on a new campaign for its Lincoln brand, tapping Laundry Service, a Wasserman Media Group-owned New York-based shop. The shop’s content studio, called Cycle, was hired to handle social media for a new campaign for the redesigned 2018 Lincoln Navigator SUV, a Lincoln spokesman confirmed to Adage.
Hispanic Shop Zubi
Last February, WPP’s GTB, it’s wholly owned full-service agency dedicated to the Ford Motor Company account, acquired Zubi Advertising Services, Inc. (“Zubi”), a full-service advertising agency that focuses on the Hispanic market in the US. The acquisition continued WPP’s strategy of investing to strengthen its “horizontality” offer to clients by enhancing the capabilities of its global account teams, such as GTB, and in important markets such as the US.
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