Nissan Motor Company Strengthens Brand Power In New Multi-Year Agreement With Omnicom Group

YOKOHAMA, Japan, Oct. 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., today announced it has signed a multi-year agreement with Omnicom Group (NYSE: OMC) for communications, advertising, marketing, media, promotions and digital services.  The global relationship will be managed by Nissan United, a newly-formed multi-disciplinary team of agency leaders based in New York that will build brand value for Nissan.

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"Brand power is a core pillar of our Nissan Power 88 strategic plan and is essential for our growth," said Roel de-Vries, Nissan Corporate Vice President and global head of marketing, brand and communications.  "In Omnicom, we have a strong partner and the new, industry-changing Nissan United structure is a perfect setup to deliver on our promise of innovation and excitement for everyone," de-Vries continued. 

Omnicom Group has named Jon Castle as president of Nissan United, which will include leaders from various expert agencies in the group. "We are thrilled to extend our partnership with Nissan and remain dedicated to bringing together the best Omnicom resources around the world to continue to strengthen the Nissan brand," said Castle.

The integrated Nissan United team will serve as a global leadership group to lead, direct and align a network of various Omnicom and non-Omnicom agencies around the world, including TBWA, OMD, Interbrand, Emanate and Hakuhodo.  

Nissan continues to build on its brand heritage of innovation.  The company recently announced breakthroughs in vehicle technology and sustainability, including:

• Multiple, commercially-viable Autonomous Drive vehicles ready by 2020.
• New enhancements to the industry leading and 100-percent electric Nissan LEAF, including an onboard charger to reduce charging time and the CARWINGS telematics system with remote charge, climate control management and the ability to view charging station availability.  The Nissan LEAF is world's best-selling EV and there are more than 78,000 LEAFs on the road today.
• Nissan's first-ever global brand campaign built around the theme that "At Nissan, We Turn What If into What Is."

Earlier this week, the Nissan brand was included in this year's Interbrand Best Global Brand report, moving from #73 in 2012 to #65 in 2013.  Nissan was also recognized in June as one of Interbrand's 2013 Best Global Green Brands due to its leadership in zero emissions mobility with the Nissan LEAF 100% electric vehicle, ranking fifth overall out of 50 brands.

"Our ranking on both the 2013 Best Global Green Brands list and this week's newly announced 2013 Best Global Brand rankings further demonstrates our momentum in building and maintaining a strong global brand for Nissan," said de-Vries.  "Omnicom has played a huge role in driving our brand success, and we look forward to even greater progress in the coming years."

About Nissan Motor Co.

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second-largest automotive company, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with approximately 236,000 employees globally, Nissan sold more than 4.9 million vehicles and generated revenue of 9.6 trillion yen (USD116.16 billion) in fiscal 2012.  Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of more than 60 models under the Nissan and Infiniti brands.  In 2010, Nissan introduced the Nissan LEAF, and continues to lead in zero-emission mobility. The LEAF, the first mass-market, pure-electric vehicle launched globally, is now the best-selling EV in history.

About Omnicom

Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) is a leading global marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom's branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive marketing, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries.

http://www.omnicomgroup.com

SOURCE Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.