Wunderman retains Samsung pan-Euro CRM business

Global tech giant Samsung has reappointed Wunderman Thompson UK to handle its pan-European CRM account following a competitive statutory review.

Wunderman will continue to work across the account, and boosting its data-driven approach, with creative, data and strategy under one roof.

Reporting into the Samsung Europe office, Wunderman will deliver a regional strategy to be deployed across 17 local markets spanning over 30 different countries.

The agency has also been briefed to unite Samsung’s CRM and first-party data as the brand, like most others, prepares for a cookieless future.

Wunderman was first appointed to the business in 2017, beating off competition from DigitasLBi and Havas Helia. The incumbent agency on the account had been Amsterdam-based Yourzine.

Samsung director of data driven marketing and technology Ihab Moawad said the brand was “delighted” to continue to work with Wunderman, “a team and agency who continually surprise us and push us forward”.

Moawad, who has worked at Samsung since 2013, took up his current role in June 2020. He added: “Through the process Wunderman demonstrated real craft in bringing together both to create a connected journey that we believe will provide real value to our customers.”

Wunderman Thompson UK chief executive Pip Hulbert added: “Continuing our work with Samsung means a huge amount to us, it’s testament to the strong relationship we’ve developed and the challenges we’ve helped to solve so far.”

The South Korean multinational works with a raft of agencies, Cheil Worldwide was set up as a subsidiary of Samsung in 1973 and has 48 offices and eight affiliate offices. Cheil-owned UK agency Iris has run the Samsung CRM business for the best part of a decade, while Omnicom’s Rapp handles social media, and Wieden & Kennedy Amsterdam works on the advertising business.

Last week, the brand unveiled a global ad campaign for its newly launched Galaxy Z Flip4 (pictured), designed to celebrate Samsung’s “innovative” devices and the people who choose them.

The blitz will run across TV, social and online video; an outdoor execution is also running at London’s Piccadilly Lights.