Yamaha Gives Most of Its Ad Work to Marshall Design Associates

Yamaha Motor Corp. USA said it has awarded the bulk of its advertising account to Marshall Design Associates in Newport Beach after a three-month search that reviewed 11 agencies.

Diana Marshall, owner and president of Marshall Design, said she plans to add two or three employees to her staff of nine to handle the $11-million annual account. Her agency will handle all of Yamaha’s marketing and ad research and media buying, plus the creative work for the company’s motorcycle, snowmobile and all-terrain vehicle divisions.

Yamaha USA is the Orange County-based import and distribution arm of Japan’s Yamaha Motor Corp.

Marshall said that she has worked with Yamaha for 18 years, as creative director at a previous agency and for the past 10 years as owner of Marshall Design. This is the company’s largest single account, she said.

Previously, Yamaha used Torrance-based Saatchi & Saatchi Pacific. The company still uses the Ground Zero agency in Santa Monica for creative work for its water vehicles division.