Volkswagen's marathon global media review ends; Omnicom holds on to business

German auto giant Volkswagen had called for a review of its global media planning and buying account. After a lengthy review, VW has chosen to retain Omnicom Group. The ad holding company holds on to the automaker’s worldwide business, which includes VW, Audi and Škoda. As per reports, Omnicom's media investments firm PHD will support the business under a new operating model that draws resources from across Omnicom Media Group.

Media spends in India are in the range of Rs150-180 crore.

Volkswagen's contract with Omnicom-owned PHD had expired at the end of 2023, kicking off a marathon global media pitch for its multi-billion dollar contract which includes brands such as Volkswagen, Audi and Skoda. PHD had the account since 2016 and before PHD it was WPP’s MediaCom that handled the carmaker's media duties since 1998.

Volkswagen is currently eyeing the entry-level electric vehicle (EV) market in India and is expected to launch the first SUV in the segment later this year, according to reports.

“We are actively working on an entry-level EV. We are evaluating which VW Group platform can be best adapted to build a compact electric SUV in India,” Piyush Arora, CEO of Skoda Auto Volkswagen India, told a news agency recently. According to Arora, the Volkswagen Group will need to invest “in triple-digit million euros” to introduce electric SUVs in India.

In February 2024, Jan Bures was named the new executive director of sales, marketing, and digital at Skoda Auto Volkswagen India, in charge of the group brands such as Skoda, Audi, Porsche, Lamborghini and the flagship Volkswagen.