BMW China calls media pitch

Sources with knowledge of the pitch say that at least two agencies are vying for the business, including BMW’s media incumbent, Carat China, and an OMG agency.

According to a local report, the business is exclusively for BMW’s traditional media duties including TV and print.

The news comes one year after BMW called a creative pitch in the market which led to the auto brand awarding part of its China account to Leo Burnett. The two-round pitch also included incumbent Interone, Bates141, DraftFCB and Publicis.

Speaking of the challenges the brand faces, managing director of BMW Asia, Johannes Seibert, told MediaTV in October last year that marketing a luxury car is a matter of balancing mass appeal with exclusivity.

“You don’t need to be small to be premium,” he said. “It’s more about quality - quality in a wider sense. Product quality is certainly one part of it but, on the other hand, the quality of customer care or the retail experience and the sales services is very important.”