General Motors’ brand Vauxhall is poised to rethink its direct marketing account – held by DraftFCB since 2004 – as part of a statutory review.
It is reported that the company will release an initial pitch document in the next two weeks.
DraftFCB also handles the Hyundai DM business, which it poached from Carlson, but despite it being virtually unprecedented to handle two car accounts, it is not thought to be connected. DraftFCB it is expected to repitch.
Vauxhall has been the second-largest selling car brand in the UK for over two decades. The current Vauxhall range includes the Agila (city car), Corsa (supermini), Astra (small family car), Insignia (large family car), Meriva (mini MPV) and Zafira (compact MPV).
The Vauxhall operation at Ellesmere Port in the north-west of England has reportedly been under serious threat for a number of years but is now in the running to be the European production centre for the new Ampera hybrid hatchback. A decision on whether the car will be built at the Cheshire plant will be made in the next 12 months.
A high proportion of Vauxhall-branded vehicles sold in the UK are produced at Opel factories in Germany, Spain and Poland, and roughly 80% of Vauxhall production is exported, most of which is sold under the Opel brand.
