Volkwagen of America will move its promotions and below-the-line assignments to Crispin Porter + Bogusky as part of the abrupt shift of its advertising account to the Miami agency from Arnold Worldwide, Boston.
VW didn’t conduct a review before deciding to shift its estimated $400 million marketing account, including promotions, to Crispin Porter by December.
The decision was overseen by Kerri Martin, who joined VW in April as director of brand innovation. Martin, who had been marketing communications manager at BMW, worked with Crispin Porter to launch BMW’s Mini Cooper in the U.S. (Crispin Porter resigned BMW’s Mini USA account to take on VW.) VW veteran Heidi Korte continues to oversee promotions and sponsorships.
Auburn Hills, MI-based VW spent $343 million on measured media advertising in 2004, and only $42.6million for the first half of 2005, per TNS Media Intelligence.
Arnold has worked on VW ads and promotions for 10 years; the agency is a 2005 PRO Awards finalist for VW’s sponsorship of the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, and won last year for VW Beetle’s “Pods Unite” tie-in with Apple’s iPod and was a finalist with a test-drive tie-in with W Hotels to launch upscale Phaeton (December 2004 PROMO). This summer Arnold spearheaded a viral marketing drive for the 2005 Passat that recruited 5,000 “Alpha Drivers” to work as brand advocates in exchange for VW-branded premiums and a chance to win a two-year lease on the redesigned Passat launching this fall.
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