Volvo Awards Direct Marketing to New Agency

    NEW YORK--May 21, 2002--In the first demonstration of the newly created Euro RSCG MVBMS Partners' ability to provide integrated marketing solutions, Volvo Cars of North America, LLC announced that it has awarded its full-service direct marketing responsibilities to Euro RSCG Devon Direct, one of the seven Euro RSCG MVBMS Partners companies operating under one P&L.
    Commenting on the win, Euro RSCG MVBMS Partners CEO Ron Berger said, "On May 1 we launched a new agency that breaks down the barriers to collaboration between marketing disciplines and creates a truly integrated approach to clients' business needs. It is not surprising that the first client to add the new agency's capabilities to its marketing portfolio is Volvo. Over the decade-long relationship Euro RSCG MVBMS has had with Volvo, the dialogue with customers has been integral to the brand. Our new agency model enables us to seamlessly integrate best-in-class direct marketing services to fulfill Volvo's business mission."
    According to Ron Greene, CEO of Euro RSCG Devon Direct, "In today's world, the bottom line dictates that all marketing disciplines recognize the power of an integrated approach that goes beyond compatible creative and truly creates a synergistic strategic platform for the realization of client goals. Under the umbrella of Euro RSCG MVBMS Partners, for the first time we are all at the table together with the ability to deliver agency-driven strategic value across all of a client's marketing challenges and to bring it to fruition with the highest levels of specialized expertise in every instance."
    Euro RSCG Devon Direct, ranked among the nation's top 10 direct marketing brands and noted for its pioneering programs in Customer LifeCycle communications aimed at fostering brand loyalty, will be responsible for Volvo's relationship marketing program. This will include ongoing communications streams to owners of both new and previously owned vehicles as well as fulfillment, with initial efforts targeted to owners of leased and financed vehicles.
    "Volvo has long been a leader in innovative relationship marketing," said Phil Bienert, Manager, CRM and Future Product Strategy for Volvo Cars of North America, LLC. "Most importantly, we have made it our goal to maintain a positive dialogue with each owner. Since we have always believed strongly in the power of integrated marketing, this assignment will assure that our brand and message are consistent and fresh in every mode of customer communication."
    Under Euro RSCG MVBMS Partners' innovative approach to integration under a single P&L, the new agency will blend its deep understanding of Volvo's core brand values with strategic direct marketing insights and expertise. This affords Volvo the benefits of its long relationship with Euro RSCG MVBMS, which has produced some of the auto industry's most groundbreaking marketing initiatives.
    Working with Euro RSCG MVBMS Partners, Volvo has won several awards for its marketing innovations, including: Adweek's IQ Award for best online campaign for the all-digital launch of the Volvo S60, and Best Interactive Campaign from Silicon Alley Reporter for its "Road to the S60" promotion (a full-media promotion involving interactive TV, Internet, WAP-enabled phones, and PDAs). These initiatives represent the agency-branded Creative Business Idea(TM), the core concept behind the new agency structure. The Creative Business Idea(TM) allows the client's business goals to drive marketing strategy, employing every discipline in the most effective way toward accomplishing that goal.
    Volvo Cars of North America, LLC is part of the Volvo Car Corporation of Goteborg, Sweden. The company provides marketing, sales, parts, service, technology, and training support to Volvo automobile retailers in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. The 2002 Volvo automobile line includes the sporty S60 and S60 AWD sedans, the flagship S80 luxury sedan, versatile V70 wagon and rugged Cross Country, C70 coupe and convertible, and compact S40 and V40 models.
    Euro RSCG MVBMS Partners is based in New York, with offices and operating units in San Francisco, Berwyn (Pennsylvania), Westport and Wilton (Connecticut), Boston, Washington, DC, Mineola (New York), Amsterdam, London, and Paris. The agency provides integrated solutions for some of the world's most forward-thinking companies, including Barnes&Noble.com, Intel Corporation, Nestle, Reuters, Schering-Plough, and Volvo. Its clients are leaders in major categories ranging from fashion to financial services, technology to health sciences.
    Euro RSCG Worldwide, one of the world's five largest integrated marketing communications agencies, is made up of 221 agencies located in 75 countries throughout Europe, North America, Latin America, and Asia Pacific. Euro RSCG provides advertising, marketing services, corporate communications, and interactive solutions to global, regional, and local clients. The agency's client roster includes Air France, Credit Suisse Group, Danone Group, Intel Corporation, LVMH Louis Vuitton, Reckitt Benckiser, Volvo, WorldCom, and Yahoo! Headquartered in New York, Euro RSCG Worldwide is the largest unit of Havas, the world's sixth-largest communications group (Euronext Paris SA: HAV.PA).