General Motors hands MRM Worldwide new Chevrolet projects in Thailand

MRM Worldwide will be tasked with maintaining ChevyOk Chevrolet's website and driving a web strategy in the Kingdom.

The latest appointment adds to the McCann Worldgroup agency's work for GM in Thailand, which already includes digital marketing strategies to improve brand consideration and visibility as well as web site development for the Chevrolet brand.

According to a statemement, MRM Worldwide’s new assignments aim to reinforce the automaker’s commitment towards strengthening its digital marketing and CRM activities in the local market. MRM Worldwide has been tasked with both projects from September to December 2009.

The maintenance project includes enhancing the used car site’s tools, restructuring and managing database, while providing web performance report. The drive-to-web strategy will also launch this month and includes online media strategy, tactical campaigns as well as traffic drivers from offline media.

ChevyOK Chevrolet began operations in Thailand in 2006. The used car unit of Chevrolet is GM Thailand’s aims to increase the resale value of Chevrolet vehicles in the country while also increasing sales volume of used cars and parts as well as customer traffic to its showroom.

Despite troubles with its parent company in the US, which emerged from bankruptcy in early-July, GM Thailand has maintained that it would continue to expand in Southeast Asia.

Steve Carlisle, president of GM Thailand and its operations in Southeast Asia had said that his company targets to maintain its market share of between 3.5 to 4 per cent in Thailand this year and in 2010.

For the Asean market, where GM has a market share of between 1.5 to 2 per cent, its projection has improved from an earlier forecast of a 20 per cent cut in volume.

Carlisle added that his firm was confident that the Asean market will recover substantially in the next two years and GM is set to increase its presence in Asean and other emerging markets.

Separately in August, McCann Erickson and ZenithOptimedia were appointed by Shanghai General Motors (Shanghai GM) to handle a campaign promoting the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.