To handle the business, OMG took the innovative step of assembling a tight seven-member bespoke professional unit, Team Daimler OMG, which has been drawn from the media group’s six worldwide specialist divisions.
“To fully satisfy the brief from Mercedes-Benz South Africa we also decided to form a multi-skilled team from a number of our local operating companies,” says OMG SA CEO Josh Dovey. “We had examples of how our networks interact with Mercedes-Benz in other countries to help us understand the dynamics. It’s a very fresh approach.”
“The team will provide the dedicated strategic leadership, actionable insights and digital activation for our Mercedes-Benz accounts,” says team leader Deborah Schepers.
The dedicated team, will be client-facing, and will give the client immediate accountability and dedicated attention.
The entire media process for Mercedes-Benz is data-driven. “We are fanatical about data,” she says. “It will be harnessed to drive fresh insights and next-level digital solutions across the client’s various media platforms.”
The merging of the Mercedes-Benz media portfolio of Canada, Australia, New Zealand and now South Africa into a single media region is aimed to ensure greater efficiencies over a combined spend of $75-million.
Jens Thiemer, Mercedes-Benz’s Vice President of marketing says that with the current growth strategy; ‘Mercedes-Benz 2020’ in mind Mercedes-Benz is developing regional optimisation and consolidation in the area of media activities. “Our concern is for consistent, innovative marketing communications that lead in quality, for still greater efficiency in media planning, and above all, to have the right positioning for the global challenges presented by digital media.”
Omnicom’s umbrella media agency organisation, OMG (with member agencies including OMD and PHD) also handles the buying for Mercedes-Benz’s U.S. media account that is valued in excess of $320-million.
For more information, visit
www.omgsa.co.za.