Adtech regulation a priority for Modi govt in third term: MoS Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Credibility of news and platforms are as important as monetisation challenges: Anurag Thakur

HUL: Meet the leaders who have emerged from "The CEO Factory"

Punit Goenka addresses Zee employees; ensures no layoffs due to failed merger

Disney's strategic sale to Viacom18 set to boost market share to 40 percent

The Leader's Edge: Storyboard18 in conversation with leaders, decision makers and disruptors

Nobody’s Perfect Retro Porsche Ad

In Conversation With Raja Rajamannar, Mastercard

Shahid Kapoor And Varun Ganjoo Speaks On PokerBaazi's Campaign

In conversation with IHCL’s Puneet Chhatwal & GroupM’s Kate Scott-Dawkins

Why are brands including e-sports in their sports marketing itinerary?

Storyboard18 x The English Nut: How to pronounce these 10 brand names

Experts' Take On Reinvention Of Ad Campaigns Through Technology

Experts Speak On Key Emerging Trends In Cannes Lions Entries

Leaders of the future have to be outstanding human beings: Nestle MD

In conversation with VMLY&R’s Hari Ramanathan

Header Menu

Latest News

Brand Makers

Gaming News

Brand Marketing

Media News

Special Coverage

Header Sub Menu

Digital Entertainment Summit

Delhi Literature Fest

Share the Spotlight

Global Pioneers Summit

Power of Purpose

The Visionaries

DNPA

About Us

Hamburger Menu

Quantum Brief

#FreeOurSkylines

Watch.Listen

Advertising

Agency News

Media

Interviews

Several major brands in India have initiated agency review processes, inviting pitches for creative and media mandates as part of strategic realignments.

PNB MetLife has called for an integrated pitch, seeking a single agency to handle both creative and media duties. Sources familiar with the development indicate the account is complex, involving multiple agencies. The pitch is currently underway, and the brand has yet to finalize the agency.

Meanwhile, the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) has initiated a creative agency pitch. A senior executive at the creative agency confirmed the development, stating, "AMFI have called for the creative pitch. Multiple agencies have participated. They are yet to finalize the creative agency on record." The incumbent agency handling AMFI’s creative duties is WPP-led VML.

In the automotive sector, BMW India has recently concluded its creative pitch process but has not yet announced the new agency on record. The company confirmed to Storyboard18 that the pitch is part of a broader strategic realignment following BMW’s record-breaking performance in 2024, when it achieved its highest-ever annual car sales in India.

Rediffusion, the current agency managing BMW India’s creative account, may be replaced depending on the outcome of the pitch. A senior executive from a participating agency noted, “It is a routine procedure for BMW to review agencies after a three-year period. They are yet to announce the agency on record.”

In 2022, BMW appointed Rediffusion to work on its brand strategy, creative, digital and dealer support communication. The business is being handled by Rediffusion Delhi. In the same year, Lodestar UM won and retained BMW India's integrated media duties following a multi-agency pitch. 

The agency is responsible for all of BMW India's media activities, including mainline, digital, out-of-home, events, and special projects. The agency's Gurugram office is handling the account, at present.

AMFI and PNB MetLife search for new creative partners; BMW wraps up pitch

BMW India has put its creative and media account up for review. Industry sources aware of the development tell Storyboard18 that the pitch is underway in Delhi. The account size is pegged in the vicinity of Rs 150 crore. 

IPG-owned Lodestar UM is the incumbent. The agency handles the brand’s media investment and strategic planning in print, television, online, out-of-home (OOH) and radio. Lodestar UM has been handling the account since 2017. 

In 2021, after a rigorous multi-agency pitch, IPG’s Team Dynamic was announced as BMW India’s integrated communications partner. Team Dynamic is a bespoke IPG solution created for BMW India, with regional resources drawn from across IPG. The unit has been working on the brand's creative, digital services, and studio production work.

Earlier in 2022, the German luxury carmaker sold out the allocated batches of SUV iX and an all-electric MINI for the year in India. The company’s midsize electric sedan i4 was launched in May. 

According to media reports, globally, BMW is set to introduce 25 electric vehicles by 2023. Nearly half of them – the full electric ones – could be launched in India. BMW India's ad spends were around Rs 139 crore in FY21 compared to Rs 171 crore in the previous fiscal. 

Experts say that the Indian automobile industry has been grappling with a slowdown since 2019. A combination of factors including the BS6 emission norms, global shortage of semiconductors, the pandemic, and the tense socio-economic environment across the globe, has slowed down the auto sector. However, there are positive signs as big players in industry, especially in India, are driving towards recovery.

As per market and consumer data experts Statista in 2020, the Indian automotive industry spent 39 percent of its advertising budgets on print media, followed by television ads at 29 percent of the total expenditure. Interestingly, the spending on digital advertising increased from 12 percent in 2018 to 25 percent in 2020, while cinema ad spends decreased from 11 percent in 2018 to just one percent in 2020 when the pandemic hit. 





BMW INDIA