£2m SsangYong win for Electric

Korean car manufacturer SsangYong has appointed Electric to handle its &£2m UK advertising account, ahead of the launch of the company’s new sports utility vehicle.

Electric, which had previously worked with the marque on a consultancy basis, won the consolidated above-the-line account after a competitive pitch against a shortlist of undisclosed agencies.

The agency’s first campaign for SsangYong will support the launch of new compact SUV, the Kyron. A press, poster and online campaign will break at the end of this month.

Electric chief executive Laurence Percival says the work will have a different look to traditional SUV advertising. He says: “Too many campaigns feature 4x4s careering through jungles or riverbeds, shot against a Montana backdrop.”

SsangYong is hoping to become a household name in the UK with an ambitious programme of new models and competitive pricing. The Kyron made its European debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show last September.

Last year, SsangYong appointed Ken Forbes as UK managing director (MW July 21, 2005). Forbes, who has also worked at Ford and Citroën, joined from publisher EMAP Automotive, where he was managing director.

Forbes handles the company’s marketing activity following the departure of UK marketing director Tom Martin last summer. The company also recruited Dave Coop as commercial director from Citroën, where he was director of network development (MW September 22, 2005).