Mini business up for grabs

BMW is seeking to appointed an international ad agency to work on the Mini brand as part of a review of its strategy. It claims the move will not affect its local relationships, which includes WCRS in the UK.

The pitch, which is being handled by The Observatory, is understood to be in its early stages. The new agency will have a brief to create global brand campaigns that will be adapted by local agencies.

In the past, the brand has used its local roster of agencies, which also include Jung Von Matt in Germany, on a project-by-project basis. WCRS has worked with the brand for eight years and has a 29-year-old relationship with BMW.

It is not believed that the existing roster has been invited to repitch.

In December, BMW reported a 26.2% fall in global sales in November, with sales of Mini falling by 20.8%. It is claimed that it was still outperforming the premium car segment overall.