Published on: May 21, 2026
Honda Motor Europe has selected EssenceMediacom as its primary media agency partner across Europe after a competitive review process managed by MediaSense. The appointment covers Honda’s automobile, motorcycle, marine, power products, and corporate communications divisions across 16 European markets, in addition to pan-European media operations.
The new partnership, confirmed by WPP, will officially commence in August 2026. Under the mandate, a dedicated EssenceMediacom team will oversee integrated media strategy, planning, and activation for Honda throughout the region.
As part of the collaboration, the agency will leverage WPP Open, WPP’s proprietary marketing platform, to unify Honda’s brand-building initiatives, product communication efforts, and conversion-driven campaigns. The model is intended to strengthen audience-centric planning through integrated audience insights, channel planning, activation, and reporting capabilities.
The partnership will also support Honda’s efforts to enhance data usage and measurement practices through WPP’s Open Intelligence framework, enabling stronger coordination between central and local teams across multiple European markets.
Honda stated that the move aligns with its broader objective of modernising its marketing operations while creating stronger integration across brand communication, customer engagement, and product marketing activities across Europe. WPP Media will provide strategic leadership at a regional level while supporting local execution and market-specific flexibility.
Olivia Dunn, Head of Automotive Communications at Honda Motor Europe, said: “As the European automotive landscape continues to evolve, our focus is on continuing to build a communications model that is increasingly relevant, integrated and future focused. We are proud to appoint WPP as the partner who will support Honda in our next phase of growth, helping us bring our brand and outstanding products to customers across Europe in the most impactful and engaging way possible.”
Andrew Saxon, Head of Motorcycle Communications at Honda Motor Europe, said: “As the number one motorcycle brand in Europe, Honda has both the opportunity and responsibility to lead how we engage riders across the region. We are focused on building deeper, more meaningful connections with both existing and future customers through integrated, rider-first communications. WPP are the right partner to elevate how we bring our brand and products to life with clarity, consistency and impact across Europe.”
Caroline Foster Kenny, Global Client President at EssenceMediacom, said: “Honda is one of the world’s most iconic brands, with a remarkable heritage of innovation and a uniquely broad portfolio across Europe. We are proud to be partnering with the team at Honda Motor Europe at such an important moment in their marketing evolution and we look forward to helping them leverage the power of integrated media to drive growth across the region.”
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