Dentsu Creative wins Chery creative pitch
Dentsu Creative has been appointed as the creative agency of record for Chery Motors following a competitive pitch, while Zeno Group has been appointed as its PR agency partner.
A Dentsu Creative spokesperson confirmed the win, telling Mumbrella: “With our deep expertise in the automotive space — both locally and globally — we’re thrilled to partner with Chery as it rolls out an exciting new generation of vehicles.”
Dentsu Creative’s previous auto experience comes from its long-term partnership with Toyota, which ended last year. The agency held the account for ten years, after acquiring indie agency, and Toyota’s creative agency partner at the time, Oddfellows. Known then as Oddfellowsdentsu, its first ad for Toyota launched in March, 2014.
Dentsu Creative will help accelerate Chery’s local expansion plans with new vehicles to launch and a growing dealership network. The agency will be responsible with crafting “bold, high-impact campaigns”.
The Chinese automotive brand was founded in 1997. According to its website, its global reach spans more than 80 countries and regions with over 14 million vehicles sold worldwide.
“We’re excited to welcome Dentsu as our new creative agency partner. Their strategic expertise and creative energy align perfectly with our vision as we continue to grow our brand and connect with audiences in more impactful ways,” Lucas Harris, Chery Australia’s chief operating officer, told Mumbrella.
“We look forward to working together to elevate our presence across all channels.”
Dentsu Creative’s client roster also includes American Express, NBN, The Iconic, RMIT University, Activision, Adobe, and Nib.
Across the wider group, Dentsu Creative Public Relations and Merkle work on Geely, Carat Melbourne services General Motors’ Cadillac, and iProspect services Polestar.
It marks the agency’s first win under new (interim) creative leadership, following the departure of chief creative Ben Coulson earlier this year. Australian creative is being led by Brett Colliver, co-CCO of Dentsu Aotearoa, while the agency looks for Coulson’s permanent replacement.
Meanwhile Chery has appointed Zeno Australia as its PR agency in Australia, also following a competitive pitch.
The agency will spearhead strategic comms to raise Chery’s market profile through media engagement, executive visibility, brand experiences, and partnership management.
Harris said Zeno’s “passion” for the automotive brand and its “creative thinking and insightful strategic approach” shone throughout the pitch process.
“Australia plays a critical role in Chery’s global expansion plan and this is going to be significant year for us,” he said in a release.
“We have every confidence that together, we’ll build great momentum for Chery as a challenger brand built to provide the very best for Australian families. With a range of new energy vehicles to be launched shortly, Chery is well-positioned for continued growth throughout 2025.”
Zeno’s managing director, Sarah Littlefair, said the opportunity to help accelerate the brand through a “creative, earned-first approach” is “incredibly exciting”.
The PR agency’s other clients include Gorilla Glue, Shokz, Lenovo, Motorola, and Yorkshire Tea.
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Lauren McNamara is the associate editor at Mumbrella, covering the creative and PR beat. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, after completing a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at UTS.
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automotive
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Chery Motors Australia
Dentsu
Dentsu Creative
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pitch win
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Zeno
Zeno Australia
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