Media Experts has won the Honda Canada media assignment following a competitive review.
The Interpublic-owned agency will be responsible for all planning and buying for Honda, Acura, and the Honda Dealer Advertising Association in Ontario, B.C. and the Prairie provinces, as well as planning and digital buying for the dealers’ association in Quebec.
The move brings down the curtain on the automaker's decades-old relationship with Omnicom Media Group's PHD network in Canada that dates back to 1987, when it was still the independent Harrison Young Pesonen & Newell. OMG declined to comment.
Honda has some familiarity with Interpublic Group, having moved its European assignment to Media Experts' sister agency UM in 2021.
Honda spent $25 million on media in Canada in 2022 according to European research firm COMvergence, with about three-quarters of its spend going to digital.
In an email interview, Media Experts CEO Karel Wegert called the assignment "incredibly important" for the agency, and said that its passion for the auto industry "runs deep."
"The opportunity to work with such an iconic global brand with a wide and diverse product set has generated tremendous excitement across our teams," he said.
Media Experts had previously held the BMW assignment in Canada from 2009 until last year, when the luxury automaker awarded the assignment for the U.S., Canada and Latin America to Omnicom.
"The alignment between Media Experts and Honda Canada was powerful in terms of culture and capabilities. We have a strong team with extensive automotive knowledge and experience that mirrors Honda and Acura's passion for their products,” said Wegert. “Our strong roots across the country allow us to mirror Honda and Acura's structure with service teams across region-by-region, coast to coast."
Wegert also spoke to the intricacies of taking on a client that had been with its previous agency for so long.
"There are always considerations to take into account when transitioning out of a tenured relationship," he said. "This is an aspect our team is especially attuned and sensitive to. And of course, a new working relationship brings with it the opportunity to learn from each other and build something that is only possible because of the minds that are at the table."
Honda is currently fighting to regain the 8.8% market share of the Canadian automotive market it enjoyed pre-pandemic. Sales across its various brands, including the flagship brand and Acura, surged 22% last year to reach a reported 112,535 units.
