OMD has won the global media account of online retail marketplace AliExpress, owned by Alibaba Group, estimated to be worth US$25 million in annual billings.
The Omnicom Media Group agency will manage the media planning and buying duties for the full portfolio of AliExpress products in key international markets, including Spain, Brazil, Poland, South Korea and Saudi Arabia.
It will set up specialised teams in key markets to support a central team that will manage the business from a global hub in Shanghai.
The account was previously managed by Singapore-based web development agency MediaPlus, except in Korea, where it was managed by WPP's MediaCom.
OMD Shanghai led the pitch, and impressed the client its "strategic capabilities and rigorous planning process that they were able to weave into their creative media solutions", remarked Christina Lu, head of marketing for AliExpress.
"I am confident this partnership will help us to continue delivering meaningful experiences to our customers in the global markets we serve," she added.
Wavemaker and Publicis Groupe are believed to have participated in the pitch. Campaign Asia-Pacific has reached out to both agencies but did not hear back by the time of publication.
OMD China CEO Connie Chan commented: "This appointment is a testament to OMD’s strategic approach, which is grounded in agility, flexibility and the ability to leverage the best of our capabilities to drive innovative and impactful communications for the client."
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