Mitsubishi Motors North America selects agency partners and names a Vice President of Marketing

Mitsubishi Motors North America has announced the selection of advertising and public relations agency partners. Following a review process that lasted several months, Mitsubishi Motors' executive management has chosen agency partners to collaborate on the mission of helping restore the brand's identity, marketing direction, and sales momentum. MMNA has created a non-traditional partner agency structure where the client takes the strategic lead and unifies these three organizations to work in concert with event and media planning groups eschewing the more common single firm agency-of-record format.

Mitsubishi Motors has elected 180LA as the creative agency-of-record, Schematic as the digital agency-of-record, and Trivalle Communications as the public relations agency-of-record. "We are excited to have these agency partners in place, and are eager to begin working toward our marketing goals as we develop and execute new and engaging consumer outreach plans throughout the summer and onward," said Shinichi Kurihara, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Motors North America. Helping to coordinate and guide these agency partners will be newly appointed Vice President of Marketing and Product Strategy for MMNA, Gregory Adams. Adams brings a diverse automotive background to MMNA after having worked earlier in the decade within the Mitsubishi Motors Corporation product planning department in Japan, as well as time spent with Ford, Nissan, and DaimlerChrysler in the Asia Pacific region. More recently, Adams was involved in helping establish Ferrari's presence in Japan. PHD will continue in their role as media agency-of-record responsible for planning and buying MMNA's advertising media.

180
180 (www.180LA.com and www.180amsterdam.com) is an international creative agency with offices in Amsterdam and Los Angeles. 180 employs 225+ people from over 32 countries. 180's client roster includes Adidas International, Sony Consumer Electronics USA, Sony Corporation, Boost Mobile, Amstel Beer, HBO, Eli Lily, Sauza Tequila, Western Union, DHL and Omega Watches. 180 specializes in consumer, brand and product strategy, and offers a spectrum of expertise, including: content creation, digital marketing, retail marketing, design, and advertising.

Schematic
Schematic, (www.schematic.com) a WPP company, is a world leader in connecting brands with consumers through innovative digital platforms. As the digital agency-of-record (AOR) for Mitsubishi, the firm will develop and implement a comprehensive, interactive strategy that creates ROI through optimization and Web analytics. This includes leading development efforts for the Mitsubishi website as well as managing the company's social networking programs, display and search advertising, digital content creation and other interactive initiatives. Schematic services Fortune 1000 companies including Google, Microsoft, Dell, Sony, Target, Nokia, Comcast and NBC -- and is recognized by both Advertising Age and AdWeek as one of the industry's most innovative firms with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Austin, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Costa Rica and London.

Trivalle Communications
Trivalle represents a revised model of public relations/communications agency that combines elements of traditional public relations practice with enhanced emphasis and capability leveraging interactive and social media elements. Integrated into the marketing mission, Trivalle will also help lend expertise, planning and activation support for the media messaging, product launch events, marketing events, promotions and product initiatives that MMNA will tackle this year.

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc., (MMNA) is responsible for all manufacturing, finance, sales, marketing, research and development operations for Mitsubishi Motors in the United States. MMNA sells coupes, convertibles, sedans, sport utility vehicles, and light trucks through a network of approximately 400 dealers. For more information, contact the Mitsubishi Motors News Bureau at (888) 560-6672 or visit media.mitsubishicars.com.