UM overtakes Dentsu, revs up client lineup with Chrysler win

As part of the new business win, UM China will be responsible for both strategic planning and traditional media buying duties in 2012. The decision was made in February after a pitch process that started in November last year.

The US automaker currently has more than 127 dealerships in China, with three primary brands under its umbrella: Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge. UM China will leverage its local knowledge and insights to support media operations in Jiangsu, Zhejiang，Shandong, Sichuan, and Guangdong.

UM Shanghai's general manager Cindy Dai told Campaign Asia-Pacific the pitch was won after UM impressed Chrysler with the creativity of its thinking. "Our pitch presentation integrated nationwide and provincial media coverage with outdoor executions to provide a more cost-effective strategy amid media clutter and high media inflation rates," Dai said.

During the pitch, it became apparent that both agency and client had the same brand ambassador in mind, according to Kelvin Song, business director of UM. The fact that both parties favoured Wang Shi, owner of Vanke, China's largest residential real estate development company, indicated synergy, Song said. 

Chrysler announced its return to the China market at the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition on 23 April with the 300C luxury sedan designed with Chinese elements in mind. Chrysler had exited the market in 2009 following its bankruptcy and reorganisation. 

For its re-entry into the mainland, Chrysler will employ the brand positioning of "a new American luxury", which UM will communicate via media platforms such as financial, auto and lifestyle magazines, airport lightboxes, multimedia outdoor executions, in-flight publications, CCTV and provincial television news channels.