JWT Canada has been handed the $40 million Canadian portion of parent WPP Group’s “Team Mazda,” which handles all marketing-communications for Mazda North America.
The news comes after Mazda handed its North America AOR duties to a hybrid team from WPP agencies in June. Doner had held the account since 1997, but was dropped from the review.
(Later in the summer it was announced that Young & Rubicam EVP and national accounts director David Latta would be Team Mazda’s managing director and JWT New York chief creative officer Harvey Marco its executive creative officer.)
“Mazda is an extraordinary brand with great momentum and a special connection to Canadians,” said JWT Canada president and CEO Tony Pigott, in a statement. “It is an enormous privilege to partner with Mazda Canada and help further build their business, their brand and their unique rapport with drivers across the country.”
Starting today, Pigott will oversee the day-to-day account management of Mazda Canada, with JWT’s offices in Toronto, Montréal and Vancouver taking on the creative, CRM, digital and collateral communications across Canada.
Excelerator Media will handle national media planning, buying and research.
“We’re in a new era of marketing that is continually changing and evolving,” said Don Romano, president of Mazda Canada. “Team Mazda will leverage the best of WPP’s multitude of marketing and media specialties for a more integrated approach to our marketing-communications, and we’re confident they will help us take the Mazda brand to the next level.”
