Porsche switches ad agencies

Porsche Cars Canada announced that following a five-month review involving more than 20 agencies, Red Urban has been selected as its new agency of record.

The Toronto-based agency has previously handled work for Volkswagen, Rolling Rock beer and Alexander Keith’s hop series.

“We were initially drawn to Red Urban because of the breakthrough work they have done with Volkswagen, both in Canada and globally,” said Laurance Yap, Porsche Canada’s director of marketing.

“However, after learning more about their capabilities, especially in digital and content creation, it was clear they were the right choice to help us advance Porsche in the Canadian market.”

The move from its previous agency Yield Branding comes at a critical time for Porsche. The new Macan SUV is expected to explode into dealerships this spring and there is no doubt a strong desire to continue to drive the brand’s remarkable growth of late.

The automaker stressed the change in agency was not a reflection of Yield’s performance, noting the two had enjoyed a successful five-year run.

“Rather, it comes from a desire to access the resources of a larger, global agency as the Porsche business continues to grow,” Yap added.

Red Urban will officially start in June. It will be responsible for adaptation of global campaigns as well as Canadian-specific creative for new vehicles and after sales initiatives across all media.

French market communications will be handled by CART1ER, based in Montreal.

Last calendar year, Porsche sold an 3,680 units in Canada, up 23 per cent over 2012.