Proton had been looking to consolidate its communications business into a single agency, and invited McCann and TBWA to pitch at the beginning of the year. Universal McCann, McCann's sister media agency, was awarded Proton? media business without a pitch.
"We wanted an agency which would offer a lot of operational support for the introduction of new products," said Proton's head of group marketing communications, Yusri Yusuf. "McCann's business plan was the closest fit with our proposals."
The brief will also involve driving brand consistency across Proton's other key markets, which include Australia and the UK.
"We're very happy that Proton selected McCann for the journey ahead," said Pratik Thakar, deputy MD and chief strategy officer of McCann Worldgroup Malaysia. "Our strategically and creatively strong product played a key role in winning the business."
The move is in contrast to a pitch for the Malaysian carmaker's creative and media duties in Indonesia in January, which it awarded to TCP\ TBWA.
Proton is facing a tough time in its home market, where sales fell by almost 10 per cent last year as the domestic marque struggled to compete with foreign players.
