• April 23, 2004

Mitsubishi Motors North America on Friday confirmed a changes in its media buying and planning assignments. The company consolidated media buying with Omnicom Group's PHD USA, and Pentacom, Canada, and named Davinci Selectwork its "communications channel optimization" agency without a review. Davinci will manage all marketing communications channels, and coordinate media buying and planning functions. PHD and Pentacom will lead media buying, while Deutsch, Los Angeles, will handle media planning.

Media buying was previously handled by Interpublic Group of Cos.' Deutsch, L.A., which will continue to manage the automaker's integrated marketing projects including media planning, general advertising, interactive programs, online advertising, direct marketing, customer and data strategy. "This strategic move helps us leverage our buying power and enables us to work with a completely different media model that's holistic, integrated and impartial," said Ian Beavis, senior vice president, marketing, product planning and public relations, Mitsubishi, in a statement.