Ford does U-turn, handing creative back to WPP after four-year stint with Clemenger BBDO
Ford Motors has returned to WPP after four years with Clemenger BBDO, returning to one of the oldest creative partnerships in Australian advertising, Mumbrella can reveal.
The changes follows a global move which saw Ford shift BBDO as its agency globally, naming independent agency Wieden + Kennedy as its new lead global creative and brand strategy partner.
Locally, the automotive manufacturer will reunite with its bespoke WPP agency, Global Team Blue (GTB), Mumbrella understands.
GTB was born out of the merging of dedicated Ford Motors agencies Team Detroit, Blue Hive and Retail First in 2016, two years before the account was lost to Clemenger BBDO.
Ford has attributed the shift to a “global move to drive brand consistency and provide greater operational efficiencies”, with the changes set to kick in from 2023.
Matt Moran, communications director for Ford Motors Australia and New Zealand, said:
“As part of a global move to drive brand consistency and provide greater operational efficiencies, in 2023 we’ll be consolidating our agency model in Australia with WPP, to complement the work they do for us locally in media buying, planning and activations.
“We’d like to thank BBDO for their great partnership – their work on our recently launched Ranger Unlimited Test Drive and Next-Gen Everest campaigns are two examples of our successful collaboration.
“We look forward to working with WPP to bring to market a number of exciting initiatives in 2023.”
Ford had first appointed WPP agency JWT in 1943 – one of the longest creative partnerships in Australian advertising history at 75 years.
Over its four-year tenure, Clemenger BDDO has produced a number of local works for Ford, most recently launching the Next-Gen Everest with a new campaign in October.
Clemenger BBDO and WPP have both declined to comment on the move.
Didn’t GTB only merge into VMLY&R early this year?
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Hi de-merged,
Yes – GTB was announced to have integrated with VMLY&R Commerce earlier in August, having presumably been redundant since WPP lost the Ford account in 2018. With GTB pegged as the new home of Ford as it returns WPP, it is yet to be confirmed how the Ford team will be restructured.
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