Jaguar transfers ad account to California
Jaguar Cars is taking its $100 million global advertising account to a newly created agency called Spark44 with its HQ in California, and regional hubs in the U.K., Germany and China, Ad Age is reporting.
The account is currently with Euro RSCG which won it in 2005.
Jaguar, now owned by the Indian car company Tata, wouldn’t give any details about the new agency.
A Spark44 website says it is “helmed by professionals with unequalled expertise in every customer touch point in the automotive universe. We are currently working on one of the most exciting projects in the industry from our four offices in London, Los Angeles, Frankfurt and Shanghai.”
The four principles named are Alastair Duncan, Steve Woolford, Bruce Dundore and Werner Krainz.
Jaguar said in a statement: “After six years of the relationship as our key marketing agency we can confirm that we have chosen this time to service notice on the agreement with Euro. No agreements have yet been finalised for a new partner, although we can confirm that we are now finalising details to create an innovative—not in-house—joint venture project named Spark44, which would be 100% dedicated to developing the Jaguar brand.”
Tata, run by Indian billionaire Rajan Tata, bought Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford in 2008. Ralph Speth, a veteran of BMW and other European car companies, became CEO of Jaguar Land Rover in early 2010. Adrian Hallmark, Saab’s executive sales director, started as global brand director for Jaguar last December.
Mr. Woolford, has been working with Mr. Speth as a consultant since last year, said Ad Age. He lives in the Los Angeles area where Spark44 is expected to be based. He has worked for BMW and Porsche in the past. According to his LinkedIn profile, he was exec VP-managing director of MRM Worldwide for five years until 2005; was president and owner of a men’s barber shop in Los Angeles called Barber Spa for two years; then spent a year as senior VP-group account director at BBDO, working on the agency’s Mitsubishi account.
London-based Mr. Duncan was formerly chief executive at MRM Worldwide and U.K. CEO at McCann WorldGroup. He was a founder of Zentropy Partners, according to the Spark44 site.
Bruce Dundore has been an art director, copywriter and creative director at BBDO, Ogilvy, McCann Erickson and his own company, Lazaroff/Dundore. Mr. Krainz, who is German, worked on campaigns for Mercedes and Volkswagen as a creative at DDB, Ogilvy & Mather and Publicis.
Young & Rubicam at the moment handles the advertising for Land Rover, Tata’s other former Ford brand. It is not known if Tata intends to move Land Rover’s advertising into Spark44, too.
Global sales of Jaguar and Land Rover combined were up 25% in January 2011 over January 2010.
“I can confirm we received a termination notice in regard to the global creative relationship,” said Matt Ryan, president-global brands, at Euro RSCG Worldwide. They were in discussions about the transition.