DETROIT – General Motors has announced a new advertising and marketing initiative to better service the 357 Buick-Pontiac-GMC (B-P-G) dealer Local Marketing Groups (LMGs) throughout the U.S.

The move is being made to further improve GM’s retail channel, and strengthen the B-P-G retail channel in particular. It involves collaboration between two established advertising organizations, the Martin Retail Group and Jay Advertising, which have joined forces to form the new Martin-Jay Retail Group.

The Martin Retail Group, affiliated with Publicis and Leo Burnett Detroit, has been the agency responsible for Pontiac’s LMG advertising, as well as LMG advertising for GM’s Cadillac and HUMMER brands. Jay Advertising, a unit of The Interpublic Group of Companies’ McCann Erickson Detroit, has been handling Buick LMG advertising, and in partnership with Lowe Worldwide, GMC LMG advertising. Under the new arrangement, Martin and Jay’s affiliate agencies will remain separate; however, the Martin-Jay Retail Group will function as one cohesive organization to provide GM with a more cost-effective, streamlined LMG marketing operation.

“Having a single agency devoted to our Buick, Pontiac and GMC dealer business will strengthen our Buick-Pontiac-GMC retail channel; improve effectiveness and communications; streamline our marketing operations, and provide our LMGs with greater access to the resources of the ‘parent’ agencies,” said John Larson, Buick-Pontiac-GMC general manager. “With this consolidation, we’ll get the best of both worlds. We are pleased with the collaborative solution developed by the Martin Retail Group and Jay Advertising.”

Overseeing The Martin-Jay Retail Group as co-chairmen will be a senior management team headed by David Martin, president, The Martin Retail Group, and Ferdinand Jay Smith, CEO of Jay Advertising. Both will be contacts for General Motors and the national agencies of record for the Buick, Pontiac and GMC brands. The new collaboration will go into effect May 9.