Digital and data agency FCB/Six has been appointed BMW’s CRM agency of record in both Canada and the U.S.

The agency won the assignment after a formal review. BMW’s CRM work was previously handled by Maryland-based Merkle, owned by Dentsu.

In leading all CRM work, FCB/Six will partner with BMW to improve the customer journey at every touchpoint of the car-buying and ownership experience by taking a holistic approach when looking at the process. The agency will also support the brand’s focus on consumer centricity and using data to drive key marketing decisions and optimizations.

FCB/Six Toronto will lead the luxury automotive brand’s Canadian business, while the agency’s New York office will lead the brand’s U.S. business. Based the success of FCB/Six in Canada, the agency announced its plans to expand stateside late last year.

Such work builds off BMW’s mission to improve its digital presence – something that was established in previous years before COVID-19, but a vision that has been accelerated as a result of the pandemic. The brand has noted to strategy how its Canadian consumers are very tech-savvy and digital-focused, which it has served with things like a virtual showroom launched in April, or branded livestreams it ran beginning in the summer.

When BMW established the “Live From Ultimate Drive” livestreams in August, Andrew Scott, director of BMW brand management, said that while the brand provides “premium customer experience” during the ownership cycle, it wanted to make sure its marketing efforts met those same expectations during the buying process as well.

With FCB/Six’s help, BMW will look to make up ground in a Canadian market in which it has sold 18,455 vehicles to date this year – down from 28,777 for the same timeframe last year.

In Canada, FCB/Six’s win expands on its parent agency’s three-year relationship with BMW. Since being named creative AOR in 2017, FCB Canada has won awards for initiatives such as “Script Your Search,” an omnichannel campaign that served consumers one of 1,500 possible custom pre-roll ads based on their interests and search terms, highlighting a relevant features available in the BMW X3. Data from the purchasing process was also used to create an individualized welcome platform.

In addition to growth from global assignments from the likes of Johnson & Johnson, eBay and The Clorox Company, FCB’s recent wins in Canada include the likes of Sobeys and McCain Foods.