Land Rover has approached agencies regarding its global advertising account, which is currently held by RKCR/Y&R, a WPP agency.
It is not known if the discussions will also affect below-the-line agency Wunderman, or media agency MindShare, both also under the WPP umbrella.
It is unclear whether or not Land Rover will call an official review. Mark Foster, Land Rover corporate affairs manager: ‘Our global creative account has been with Y&R since 2000 and we have no plans to put out the account for pitch, but as usual we will evaluate all agency arrangements to make sure we are getting the best quality and value for money.’
Business secretary Lord Mandelson is currently holding talks with Tata, the India-based owner of Land Rover and Jaguar about a £1bn support deal. The talks are part of wider discussion with the Treasury on a package to assist the car industry. Tata bought Land Rover and Jaguar from Ford in June of last year, spending £1.15bn.
Land Rover suffered dwindling car sales in 2008, with sales down 30% year on year. 46,552 new Land Rover models were sold in 2007 compared with 32,567 in 2008, according to the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
Taken from brandrepublic.com