Japanese car marque Honda has called a review of its media arrangements, potentially pitting its European incumbent Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) head-to-head with Denstu Aegis Network.
SMG has held the European media business since 2010 – estimated at the time to be worth €150m ($167m) – having previously worked on the UK account.
It is understood that the review will be run from Honda’s Japan headquarters, with the potential for global consolidation, which would be of interest Japan-based network Dentsu Aegis, which holds the business in the APAC region.
In December 2014, Honda appointed Publicis Groupe agencies Lost Boys, part of DigitasLBi, and Starcom to handle its social media across Europe
Neither Honda nor SMG had responded to requests for comment at the time of publishing.
Earlier this year, Honda’s European marketing director Martin Moll departed to join rival Nissan, where he becomes general manager, marketing communications Europe.
According to reports, Moll’s departure from Honda was the result of a restructure of the business that saw him join Nissan on 1 July.
Honda did not directly replace Moll, with marketing in the region now handled by head of product planning Sandra Hughes.