Omnicom Media Group wins $600M global Daimler media account

Daimler AG has awarded its global media account to the Omnicom Media Group (OMG).

The win is worth around $600 million, according to people with knowledge of the matter. OMG will take the keys on January 1, 2019 for more than 40 markets worldwide.

"Publicis is likely disappointed and it’s a blow to their Publicis One schtick—but for GroupM it’s an actual loss," an industry insider told Campaign US.

The shop will be responsible for all Daimler divisions (Mercedes-Benz Cars, Mercedes-Benz Vans, Daimler Trucks, Daimler Buses, Daimler Financial Services).

OMG was the incumbent on the business in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. WPP's GroupM held chunks of the account in Asia Pacific and Europe.

"In the OMG we are delighted to have a top-calibre partner at our side for our global media activities," said Natanael Sijanta, global marketing director at Mercedes-Benz Cars.

"Our goal is to be the global digital champion in automotive marketing. We aim to fully reorganize our processes and our basis for decision-making in marketing and to address our customers worldwide in a personalized manner with content which is of relevance to them.

"We have already established a global network of experts for this purpose: our three creative hubs for Europe, the USA and China are producing creative and brand-defining communicative content with great success."

The media review, launched earlier this year, came shortly after Publicis Group was named the international network and digital agency for Mercedes-Benz, following a six-month pitch against rival holding groups WPP and Omnicom. Publicis, which created a dedicated shop for the business, will began working on Mercedes in 37 markets worldwide—excluding the U.S. and China—on July 1.