PHD adds Audi to SAIC Volkswagen portfolio in China

After taking the wheel in December on the media account for Volkswagen and Skoda vehicles produced by SAIC Volkswagen in China, Omnicom Media Group agency PHD has now taken on media duties for the Audi-brand vehicles produced by the same joint-venture company.

The 20-month appointment is effective immediately and includes both planning and buying duties. Estimates place the billings as high as US$200 million.

The win came without a pitch, and there was no incumbent; SAIC-VW is just ramping toward Audi production, with the first models expected to roll out late this year. (FAW-Volkswagen Automobile, a separate joint venture headquartered in Jilin Province, also manufactures Audi models.)  

PHD will service the account out of its Shanghai office.

“We are truly humbled by SAIC Volkswagen’s vote of confidence and at the same time, proud of the quality of work that we have produced for our client,” said Joey Zhao, CEO of PHD China since Janaury. Zhao cited the agency's advanced and strategic planning platforms and tools, including Omni and Omni Studio, as well as PHD's talent in the auto and luxury categories.

"There is immense synergy between the Audi and PHD brands, especially when innovation and creativity are woven into our DNA," he added.

In recent months, PHD also replaced MediaCom and Mindshare for Subway's media duties in Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan, and won the China media-planning business of Shanghai Jahwa, a maker of beauty and personal-care products, following a multi-agency pitch.