The appointments are understood to be on a project basis, given that the automotive giant is currently conducting a global review of its US$3 billion media business, under new global CMO Joel Ewanick.
On the creative side, it is understood that a number of agencies in Vietnam were invited to pitch early in September, including Lowe, Leo Burnett and Cheil. GM has selected Grey for its creative and G2 for its activation duties.
The successful agencies have been told that the global review will probably result in a global agency alignment.
General Motors’ Chevrolet is currently the third biggest automotive brand in Vietnam, a market traditionally dominated by the motorcycle and moped.
While the global review is for GM's media business, it is understood that the regions are waiting to see whether the creative will follow suit.
For a long time globally aligned with McCann WorldGroup, GM is now seeking alignments with other agencies.
In terms of a possible global creative agency of record, many signs point towards Cheil Worldwide, which now handles GM for Europe, Middle East and North Africa.
A source told Campaign that Ewanick has strong ties with Cheil, stemming from his time with Korean automotive giant Hyundai.