Chrysler searches for creative ideas

Chrysler is tapping new ad firms for creative ideas. The auto maker had Omnicom Group's BBDO for nine years and according to reports is dissatisfied with the agency's creative output.

Chrysler is to launch its fourth-quarter ad campaign. The car manufacturer is attempting to emerge from bankruptcy and reorganize under the global alliance it struck with Fiat. The idea to look out for new ad firms follows the installation of a new marketing boss, Michael Accavitti.

Agencies from other holding companies will be invited to pitch ideas, since Chrysler's new partner, Fiat, works with a variety of agencies, including leading independent Italian agency Armando Testa, Publicis Groupe's Leo Burnett and its Arc Worldwide arm, and WPP's United.

"As we launch a new company with a brand-focused organization, we are looking for fresh ways to communicate in the marketplace," Chrysler said in a statement. "As a result, we are currently soliciting creative input on a limited number of specific projects from a select group of agencies."

Chrysler, whose car brands include Jeep and Dodge, is one of BBDO's and Omnicom's largest clients. BBDO has worked on Chrysler's Dodge brand for decades and won additional duties for the Chrysler and Jeep brands in 2000. At that time, the Chrysler business was one of the more-profitable accounts in the ad industry.

This year in May, BBDO created an advertising campaign for Chrysler to remind consumers that the car company was still in business, even though it had filed for bankruptcy protection.