Leagas Delaney pitched for the work against incumbent Lowe Brindfors, based in Stockholm, and Enjoy Paris, which handles Saab in France, as part of Saab owner General Motors' policy of putting each new launch project up for pitch.
Leagas Delaney Italy will produce the campaign under the creative direction of chairman Tim Delaney, while Lowe Brindfors, the global agency for Saab, will create a poster campaign.
It is another blow for Lowe's relationship with General Motors. Since 2002 it has been shifting work on Vauxhall brands out of Lowe's London office into Delaney Lund Knox Warren.
Kristian Jorgensen, global advertising manager at Saab Europe, said: "I had never worked with Leagas Delaney before but I was positively impressed by how well it interpreted the brand and the specific brief requirements. Its strategic and creative contribution will help position the 9-3's turbodiesel offering in fresh and distinctive way."
The car giant has been on a wide-ranging review of its marketing services, including the centralisation of its £98m media account for Daewoo, Saab and Vauxhall into Initiative Media last September, and the appointment of Draft to handle direct marketing for Saab and Vauxhall.
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