Ogilvy Hong Kong expected to win Volkswagen’s creative account

VW called a creative pitch in Hong Kong in August involving the incumbent, McCann Worldgroup, as well as DDB and Ogilvy Hong Kong. DDB has confirmed it did not win the pitch, while McCann Worldgroup and Ogilvy declined to comment.

However, a source close to the pitch told Campaign Asia-Pacific that the client is very likely to have chosen Ogilvy.

DDB is the global creative AOR for the Volkswagen account. However the client also uses a number of agencies on a project basis. For example, as reported last January, OgilvyOne was appointed digital marketing counsel for Spanish carmaker Sociedad Española de Automóviles de Turismo (SEAT) in China on an one-year retainer basis. SEAT is part of the Volkswagen Group's brand line-up.

Meanwhile, Russell Wager, senior vice-president and managing director for the Volkswagen Group Import Cars (VGIC) business at DDB Guoan in Beijing, has resigned after joining the agency in July. The departure took place a couple weeks ago, according to a source, and Wager moved back to the US for family reasons.

Jaede has held various management roles at Volkswagen in Europe and China over the past 19 years. Before moving to Hong Kong, he was head of international retail organisation at Volkswagen AG, in Wolfsburg, Germany.

According to a Hong Kong Standard news article on 17 October, Volkswagen Hong Kong recently launched its first 'Think Blue. Driving Academy'. Think Blue is a global initiative from the German carmaker aimed at encouraging eco-friendly mobility and progressive ideas for responsible action in everyday life.

Volkswagen Hong Kong, a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group China, was established in May 2008 and is responsible for importing and distributing Volkswagen vehicles in Hong Kong and Macau.