EXCLUSIVE: The launch of Japanese ad agency Dentsu into the Australian market is still months away, despite plans to launch a Sydney office this month.
The agency announced its plans to enter the market in November last year, following the surprise revelation that it had snared Toyota's Yaris account from Droga5 without a pitch.
However, despite plans to be on the ground this month, Dentsu has not secured an office to service the account and a local management team.
A Toyota spokesman told AdNews: "We have not started working with Dentsu yet. We will start working with them in the next couple of months."
The spokesman would not confirm how the Yaris account is currently being serviced, but said it is no longer being handled by Droga5.
The launch of the Australian office was intended to service pre-existing international client relationships as well as forging new local partnerships.
At the end of 2010, the agency pitched for the estimated $20 million Nintendo creative account, but was unsuccessful.
Dentsu had a presence in Australia in the 1990s when it owned BAM. In 2008, the agency tried unsuccessfully to enter the Australian market through an alliance with Sydney-based creative agency Oddfellows.
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