Hyundai kicks off search for direct marketing partner

by Kate Nettleton, Campaign 07-Jun-07

LONDON - Hyundai is on the hunt for an agency to handle its direct marketing account.

The car manufacturer has approached several agencies to pitch for the business, which includes all direct and customer relationship marketing for the Korean car marque.

It is not known whether the incumbent, Carlson Marketing, will repitch. The agency has held the account for the past four years.

Hyundai appointed Carlson in 2003 following a three-way shoot-out against Clark McKay Walpole, WWAV Rapp Collins and Dunnhumby Cinnamon.

Hyundai, combined with sister company Kia, is the world's sixth-biggest car manufacturer, and sells more cars than Honda.

However, it will be looking to increase its presence in the European market, where Hyundai and Kia combined only have a 3 per cent share.

Hyundai has already begun to increase its sales capacity across the continent, investing EUR1 billion in a new plant in the Czech Republic.

Hyundai denied it was holding a review. Carlson was unavailable for comment.

Comments

Jonathan Clark - 11/07/2007

For the record and perhaps somewhat academic but Clark McKay and Walpole declined to pitch in 2003 so was not part of the Hyundai pitch process. The Agency was responsible for some of the best automotive work in that era (Craik Jones excepted for Land Rover) and delivered spectacular results. However times change and we both moved on. However I thought the work Carlson did following on from winning the pitch was of a very high order. Jonathan Clark