Piaggio seeking agency for 5m corporate campaign

The Italian scooter maker Piaggio is seeking an agency to handle a 5m corporate campaign to position it for a flotation within the next two years.

At least three agencies, Abbott Mead Vickers.BBDO, J.Walter Thompson and M&C Saatchi, are pitching for the international account later this week.

The company, famous for its Vespa scooters, is owned by the Agnelli family, which also owns Fiat Cars.

Its main brand has gone in and out of fashion over recent years but in the UK and other markets it has become more popular in recent years because of a Sixties revival.

It holds a 45 per cent European market share for scooters, but is keen to develop into emerging markets in the East.

It sees the corporate campaign as a further opportunity to build on its presence in those markets.

“It is more than just the flotation.” says one agency source. “It is a real opportunity to raise Piaggio’s profile in the emerging markets. It is supposed to be low key and very confidential.”