A campaign is expected to break in the third quarter of this year.
The Honda City is the company’s entry-level marque, aimed at young adults and families. Bates currently handles the Honda Civic and Accord brands, as well as the company’s corporate and CSR work, which includes safety driving courses’ for Honda owners and the Honda Dreams Fund for underprivileged youths.
Ajay Thrivikraman, MD of BatesAsia 141 Malaysia, said: “We have a team which understands the nature of the automotive business in Malaysia as well as the strong challenging spirit and values inherent within Honda.”
Separately, Bates Malaysia has won a one-year contract for the Malaysian External Development Corporation (Matrade), the external trade promotion arm of Malaysia’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry.
The brief is to promote Matrade’s services and events locally and internationally through integrated communications.
Matrade operates as a point through which Malaysian exporters and foreign importers source trade-related information. Bates is said to have won the business following a review involving 20 agencies.
The two accounts will fall under the creative remit of Ajay Bakhshi, who was hired as executive creative director from McCann earlier last month with a remit to help win more awards and new business. Bakhshi was hired to replace Ajay Thrivikraman, who was promoted from ECD to MD. Thrivikraman was encouraged to take the job following the departure of Shukri Rifaie, who left to take the CEO role at Publicis Malaysia in January.
