• by Larissa Faw , November 2, 2020

BMW is appointing FCB/SIX as the car maker’s CRM agency of record in the U.S. and Canada following a formal review.

The U.S. portion of the account will be led out of FCB/SIX New York, while FCB/SIX Toronto will lead the Canadian business. Merkle previously worked on the account, though historically BMW has not grouped U.S. and Canada responsibilities under one agency partner.

Under the agreement, the IPG-owned agency will focus on improving the customer journey.The agency is also tasked with supporting the brand’s focus on customer-centricity and using data to drive key marketing decisions and optimizations.

The assignment follows a three-year relationship in which FCB launched initiatives for BMW including Live Unscripted, the Digital Welcome Experience and Stage Your Driveway.

BMW has been relatively advanced when it comes to adopting and leading CRM experiences for customers. Last year, Rene Wies from BMW Group IT told ZDNet the goal is to provide the same experience for customers outside the car as they get inside of it, but one of its main challenges is all of the legacy technology it has accrued over the years.

"Maybe somebody who configures the car on the internet, goes to the dealer for a test drive, gets an offer, thinks about it, gets another offer, etc, and then, well, maybe buys it … but then it goes on to service and repair and so forth," he explained.

"That kind of experience -- it's got to be seamless, it's got to be perfect for our customers, and for that point, we need to link up all the systems, all the data, and that's where the whole journey needs to be interconnected."