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Campaign Imminent Update: BMW's long-time AOR not participating in creative review

Update: MDC's told you since last year that it was coming....

Sellers - with a big creative revamp likely on the way to UM, BMW's media AOR since 2009. Center your initial pitch on the Q1-Q2 spring auto buying season (Feb-May), and then go after new model launch campaigns in Q4 (Sept-Nov). 

Below posted 10/27

Update: Struggling luxury automaker  AgencySpy reports that BMW will name two shops: one as creative lead and one for digital. 

Critical Mass, which picked up web design work in December. 

Sellers -  With creative likely changing hands, be on the lookout for BMW to launch new campaigns as early as fall 2018. In the meantime, keep chasing new model campaign revenue through the summer. Also, stay on sibling UM handles media for both. 

Update (9/26): With The Burnett Collective managed Mini's review. Maybe they'll oversee BMW's review, too? 

BMW has production ramps up next year. 

Incumbent: MDC's KBS has been creative AOR since 2011.

Below posted 7/18

Well, well, well... We've been FCB.

Hopefully, our agency readers have already spent the last few months getting the inside track on this review. If not, now's the time to reach out. Pitch your auto and luxury client experience, and strategies for taking on rival Mercedes-Benz, which won the global luxury auto sales race last year - ending BMW's 10-year run on top.

Keep in mind that IPG may have an edge, since they picked up Canada and have media duties. IPG's MINI's creative review, so, perhaps, the agency search consultant will work on BMW, as well.

Further, remember that late last yearKBS, creative AOR since 2011. So, it doesn't look good for the MDC agency keeping this account, if they even decide to defend.

Sellers - BMW ontinues to lag Mercedes this year and throw more advertising dollars at taking back market share.. So, keep going after BDub's rising ad budget through the Q4 auto selling season and beyond. Look for a big new campaign to break as soon as next fall, depending on how long it takes them to hire a new creative AOR. 

An advantage securing revenue should continue for platforms with high engagement rates among upscale mature millennials (male skew) argest vehicle rollout in BMW's history over the next two years, which will include the new X7 full-sized and X2 compact SUVs. 

Additional Insight

Incumbent: Lead creative duties for Canada was at Cundari for 22 years. 

TV Breakdown: $125 million has gone to national TV ads since last July (see show targeting right), up from $114.3 million a year earlier, according to iSpot.tv. 

Digital Breakdown: $24.2 million has garnered 2.3 billion impressions the first half of the year, down from $26.6 million for 2.2 billion impressions a year earlier.  Pathmatics shows that the bulk of this year's ads (about 55% of spending) have been desktop ads. Most of these were bought direct from sites such as youtube.com, espn.com, msn.com, washingtonpost.com, nytimes.com, wsj.com and Vox's theverge.com.

Still, 36% of spending, or $8.8 million,  as gone to desktop video. Almost all of this was direct buys with youtube.com and espn.com. But, at least $100,000 did go to aol.com, diply.com, sfgate.com, Gannett's freep.com, hulu.com and Conde Nast's golfdigest.com and vanityfair.com.