Mitsubishi awards Roose & Partners UK advertising

Campaign, Wednesday, 30 June 1999, 12:00am,

- The ailing Japanese car manufacturer Mitsubishi has awarded its UK advertising account to Roose & Partners following a pitch which also involved Mitchell Patterson Grime Mitchell, Bates UK and the incumbent, RPM3. Mitsubishi called a review of its account out of RPM3 earlier this year, following the announcement of 70 job losses in the UK. Mitsubishi's share of total UK sales has fallen by 14.7 per cent this year to 0.92 per cent and the company has slashed its advertising budget from £16 million last year to £8 million. The agency's first work will be on the launch of the Carisma range in August. Philip Price, general manager of marketing at Mitsubishi, said: "Changing agencies will create a fresh look to our strategy for the Carisma range and will help us drive the brand forward. We feel we need a fresh approach to a changing market and, as we have changed, what better time to change our agency?" Roose will also handle media buying and planning and will form a working partnership with the Japanese agency, Asatsu, which handles Mitsubishi worldwide outside the UK and the US. Ted Roose, chairman of Roose & Partners, said: "We have agreed to work with Asatsu to share some pan-European materials. The underlying potential for Mitsubishi in Europe is enormous and we are looking forward to working with them." The news represents the loss of RPM3's biggest client and comes as the second major blow for the agency in the last 12 months. Last year, RPM3 lost the Somerfield account following the supermarket's merger with Kwik Save.