Last summer, I never thought this would be a possibility.. but now it
has happened! I'm *so* excited. At least now there's something to look
forward to when I start work.
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US ad giant TBWA snags coveted Singapore Airlines account
by Gabriel Chen
SINGAPORE Airlines (SIA) has picked TBWA, an agency known for its
quirky creative work, to manage its lucrative Singapore Girl campaign.
The United States-based giant won the prestigious account yesterday
after a fiercely contested dogfight between three of the world's
advertising heavyweights.
SIA's announcement that TBWA would run the campaign sparked big celebrations at many of the agency's offices worldwide.
In Singapore, group managing director Dan Paris was ecstatic and
told Straits Times by telephone - when the noise of the partying died
down a little - that everybody at the office was elated and celebrating
the win.
'It's a whole agency effort. We even brought some of the best
creative brains from our foreign network to help out,' he said, though
he gave no hints as to what the new ads will look like. 'It's not
something on the table for discussion yet... We haven't even had our
debrief from SIA,' he said.
But many are ready for a sharp divergence from the existing
campaign, which has been fashioned by local firm Batey Ads for the past
35 years.
Industry watchers say TBWA is often seen as the 'alternative'
network compared to some of the other big players and has a reputation
for quirky or 'disruptive' work.
'They're willing to be more ground-breaking and different. It's
a good sign that SIA gave it to a creative agency which will break new
ground,' said a creative director.
Others speculate that TBWA's forte in digital media could have
been the trump card in clinching the deal, estimated by some in the ad
industry to be worth $50 million a year for five years.
TBWA also has a link to SIA as its unit, marketing services agency Tequila, handles the airline's loyalty business, KrisFlyer.
But despite the changes announced yesterday, one thing is certain, the Singapore Girl stays.
SIA's executive vice-president for marketing and the regions, Mr
Huang Cheng Eng, said the airline 'remains committed' to its underlying
branding, emphasised by the Singapore Girl as 'an iconic
personification of the service customers expect'.
While TBWA was popping the bubbly, the mood was sombre at DDB
Singapore and Publicis, its rivals on the shortlist for a beauty
contest that began in January.
'Obviously I feel it's a great opportunity we missed,' said DDB
Singapore chief executive David Tang. 'We're going to pick ourselves up
and prove we're good at building brands in Singapore.'
And Mr Guillaume Levy-Lambert, Publicis' chairman for the Asia-Pacific region, said his team was 'sad as they tried hard'.
'At the same time, we're very proud just to survive the race for more than three months.'
Mr Huang said the process had been spirited and competitive,
with agencies submitting dynamic proposals. 'We've been very impressed
by the commitment and enthusiasm shown by all the shortlisted
agencies,' he said.
'Our evaluation process took the time we needed to satisfy
ourselves that TBWA's creative concepts suited where we think the brand
should be positioned in future years.'
'We're very pleased now to embark on the next phase in
communicating these brand values to our customers the world over, and
to welcome TBWA to our team.'
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