Ford moves lead social media agency account

Ford Motor Co. will be moving a chunk of its social agency-of-record duties back to WPP and away from VaynerMedia, which only had won that business a little more than a year ago, several people close to the matter told Ad Age.

The automaker confirmed the shift, explaining that its social AOR account for Ford Blue — the business responsible for selling its gas and hybrid vehicles — will be moved to a WPP agency team in partnership with Wieden+Kennedy, its global and U.S. creative AOR. The company said VaynerMedia will remain on the roster to handle the social account for Ford Pro, its commercial and government business.

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“As we continue to improve brand consistency, focus and tone, we’ve realigned our social agency responsibility,” a Ford spokesman said. “W+K and WPP, which have been partnering on social projects, will be assigned Ford Blue social, while VaynerMedia will handle our very important Ford Pro social business.”

Two people close to the business said the WPP agency team will include creative network VMLY&R and media agency Mindshare.

VaynerMedia originally took the social media business from VMLY&R. Vayner started working on Ford’s social account in mid-2021 and grew the business in 2022, taking over as social AOR and picking up certain creative and media assignments, as well.

VMLY&R, Wieden+Kennedy and VaynerMedia declined to comment. Mindshare deferred to the client.

W+K has continued to expand its scope with the automaker after first being added to its agency roster in 2018. The agency took over lead global creative and brand strategy work from BBDO last October and has been Ford’s lead U.S. creative agency since 2020.

Two people close to the business said the decision to move social responsibilities to WPP and W+K seems to be a consolidation play.

The slowing economy has forced several marketers to cut back on marketing spend.

Though a top global ad spender, Ford decreased its global advertising spend to $2.2 billion in 2022 from $3.1 billion in 2021, according to a recent 10-K filing.

Ford spent $16 million on measured U.S. paid social media in 2022 according to Vivvix, using paid social data from Pathmatics.

The decision is still certainly a win for WPP, which has had ties to Ford since 1943 and counts the automaker as its largest client despite seeing its business with the company decline over the past several years.

“Ford is our largest client,” WPP CEO Mark Read said on the holding company’s third-quarter 2022 earnings call, “and we were delighted to hear recently that we will be working Wieden+Kennedy on their creative assignment, expanding our current creative remit to meet Ford’s changing needs and deliver more efficiency to them but also to leverage the creative strength of two strong agency partners for Ford.”

Ford moved its lead creative duties to Omnicom Group’s BBDO in 2018 (before W+K won them) from WPP, dealing a big blow to the holding company and its Ford-dedicated Global Team Blue unit.

WPP has still remained on the roster, handling Ford’s multi-agency team, leading activation, as well as media planning and buying, multicultural marketing (through its agencies Zubi and UniWorld) and Ford’s Lincoln brand via its Hudson Rouge boutique agency.

The social media account shift comes as Ford continues to search for a new chief marketing officer. Former CMO Suzy Deering left in December 2022 after only joining the company in early 2021 from eBay. Ford did not give a reason for her departure.

“I’ve made the decision that it is time for me to move on and let the team fly,” Deering wrote on LinkedIn at the time. “My respect for the team and what’s ahead as Ford evolves and lands the new brand positioning and the new brand design system will elevate the brand to greater heights… The shift to focusing on the customer and aligning all aspects of the business to exceed their expectations isn’t easy but I believe in what’s possible and what’s ahead.”

Contributing: Brad Johnson and Kevin Brown