Starcom IP to handle GM’s digital media duties

Starcom MediaVest Group’s digital marketing arm will take care of the auto giant’s digital media duties

Automobile giant General Motors has appointed Starcom IP, a division of Starcom MediaVest Group, AOR for digital media. The alignment has been done at the Asia Pacific level, which also includes India.

Some of the areas that have been identified for this partnership are online advertising, search engine marketing, web community marketing, peer-to-peer marketing, video, online, mobile, PC and console gaming, according to Starcom’s announcement on Wednesday. Starcom will also assess the effectiveness of GM’s digital marketing campaigns on the basis of return on objective (ROO).

Speaking to agencyfaqs!, Ravi Kiran, CEO, specialist solutions, Asia, Starcom MediaVest Group, says, “In the automobile sector, there is a detailed decision-making process for customers. Especially on digital media. This involves features like search, product comparison and seeking opinions of other users. As digital is a high-involvement category, it is important for any automobile company.”

Starcom IP to handle GM’s digital media duties

Ravi Kiran

Kiran, however, refused to divulge any specific details of Starcom’s deal with GM, saying that it was too early to share them.

Starcom has announced that it will be making key appointments of regional strategy heads and account managers in Hong Kong, China and Singapore.

“We are confident that this association will enable GM Asia Pacific to implement the best digital marketing ideas in the region that leverage the global developments and are customised to meet the diverse needs of the AP region,” says Vinay Dixit, regional marketing manager, General Motors, Asia Pacific, in the statement.

Pushkar Sane, general manager, Starcom IP Asia, adds that mobile, gaming and broadband are particularly popular in Asian markets. Sane also said that Starcom IP will be working with the GM Asia Pacific team to develop engaging programmes for its customers.

It is to be noted that Madison Media is the AOR on all the GM businesses, while the creative duties are shared by McCann Erickson, Rediffusion DY&R, and Leo Burnett. In fact, Leo Burnett, which is also a Publicis Groupe agency like Starcom, recently bagged the business for GM’s latest brand, the Chevy Spark.

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