BBH scooped the creative duties, replacing Y&R, which held the brief since 2005. One agency head called the appointment “progressive” and a shift toward “pushing all creative limits”. Media duties were handed to MEC, which also handles Singapore Airlines, while XM-Asia will oversee digital work.
Chang Chee Pey, director, brand management, at Singapore Tourism Board, said the tourism authority was looking for “a fresh and bold approach to our creative work, maximising our marketing dollars and leveraging innovative use of advertising, public relations and new media.”
The appointments followed a shortlist in February involving BBH, Ogilvy and Publicis for creative, MEC, OMD and Starcom for media, and OgilvyOne, Publicis Modem and XM-Asia for digital. A total of 38 submissions were received when STB first called a tender for its advertising account at the end of last year. Thirteen agencies pitched for the creative category, 10 for media, and 15 for digital to make the four-month review one of the highest-profile pitches in the region. It was handled by R3.
All three winning agencies have been awarded contracts from 1 May 2009 to 31 March 2011, with an option for renewal for two years. Contracts with the two incumbent agencies had ended in April.
BBH Asia-Pacific will now develop integrated creative campaigns and act as brand consultant and strategic planner. BBH, part-owned by Publicis Groupe, will partner the holding company’s Leo Burnett agency globally to help manage local market relationships.
John Hadfield, MD, BBH Asia-Pacific called the appointment “a marvellous opportunity” and “a great signal of intent” as “it reflects a shared agenda to prioritise effectiveness above all.”
The tourism board’s goal, said one source in Singapore, was to find a big idea to encourage people to reassess the city-state. STB has used the ‘Uniquely Singapore’ platform since 2004. “Singapore will be sold on the merit of a great idea and ownership of a messaging platform that is distinct and powerful. Media strategy is ultimately secondary to that,” she said. “We need a fresh take on making people sit up and realise just how charming Singapore can be. This country is undeniably a lovely entrée for digesting the rest of Asia, and the people plus the experiences are what makes us different.”
ShuFen Goh, principal at R3, added that the challenge was more than just changing the strapline. “Whether ‘Uniquely Singapore’ stays or goes is an easy challenge to tackle, compared with how STB can create a step change in engaging the world on Singapore. That’s really where the battle is,” she said.
The appointments come as the global recession takes a heavy toll on the travel industry, with tourist arrivals in the Lion City falling by 13 per cent in March this year, following a drop of 15 per cent in February.
Tourist numbers dwindled to 790,000 in March, compared with 911,000 a year earlier. Indonesia (128,000), China (91,000), Malaysia (60,000), Australia (55,000), and the UK (53,000) were Singapore’s top five visitor-generating markets, accounting for 49 per cent of total visitor arrivals for the month.
To arrest the slide, the STB launched a S$90 million (US$60 million) initiative, ‘Boost’ (building on opportunities to strengthen tourism), in February. It also recently began a ‘Fabulous Singapore stopover’ package in conjunction with Singapore Airlines, offering cheap hotel deals for passengers to encourage them to stay in the city.
STB has set itself bold targets to be hit by 2015: tourism receipts of S$30 billion, more than double the current total, and visitor numbers of 17
million.
The three agencies were picked after a “rigorous two-stage evaluation process” to ensure “a fair, transparent and rigorous evaluation” according to a statement from STB.
Connie Chan, managing director of MEC Singapore, said the win was “testimony to the integrated approach that MEC takes when working with clients to solve business challenges and the passion that our team feel for the unique experiences that Singapore has to offer.”
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Chang Chee Pey, director, brand management, at Singapore Tourism Board, said the tourism authority was looking for “a fresh and bold approach to our creative work, maximising our marketing dollars and leveraging innovative use of advertising, public relations and new media.”
The appointments followed a shortlist in February involving BBH, Ogilvy and Publicis for creative, MEC, OMD and Starcom for media, and OgilvyOne, Publicis Modem and XM-Asia for digital. A total of 38 submissions were received when STB first called a tender for its advertising account at the end of last year. Thirteen agencies pitched for the creative category, 10 for media, and 15 for digital to make the four-month review one of the highest-profile pitches in the region. It was handled by R3.
All three winning agencies have been awarded contracts from 1 May 2009 to 31 March 2011, with an option for renewal for two years. Contracts with the two incumbent agencies had ended in April.
BBH Asia-Pacific will now develop integrated creative campaigns and act as brand consultant and strategic planner. BBH, part-owned by Publicis Groupe, will partner the holding company’s Leo Burnett agency globally to help manage local market relationships.
John Hadfield, MD, BBH Asia-Pacific called the appointment “a marvellous opportunity” and “a great signal of intent” as “it reflects a shared agenda to prioritise effectiveness above all.”
The tourism board’s goal, said one source in Singapore, was to find a big idea to encourage people to reassess the city-state. STB has used the ‘Uniquely Singapore’ platform since 2004. “Singapore will be sold on the merit of a great idea and ownership of a messaging platform that is distinct and powerful. Media strategy is ultimately secondary to that,” she said. “We need a fresh take on making people sit up and realise just how charming Singapore can be. This country is undeniably a lovely entrée for digesting the rest of Asia, and the people plus the experiences are what makes us different.”
ShuFen Goh, principal at R3, added that the challenge was more than just changing the strapline. “Whether ‘Uniquely Singapore’ stays or goes is an easy challenge to tackle, compared with how STB can create a step change in engaging the world on Singapore. That’s really where the battle is,” she said.
The appointments come as the global recession takes a heavy toll on the travel industry, with tourist arrivals in the Lion City falling by 13 per cent in March this year, following a drop of 15 per cent in February.
Tourist numbers dwindled to 790,000 in March, compared with 911,000 a year earlier. Indonesia (128,000), China (91,000), Malaysia (60,000), Australia (55,000), and the UK (53,000) were Singapore’s top five visitor-generating markets, accounting for 49 per cent of total visitor arrivals for the month.
To arrest the slide, the STB launched a S$90 million (US$60 million) initiative, ‘Boost’ (building on opportunities to strengthen tourism), in February. It also recently began a ‘Fabulous Singapore stopover’ package in conjunction with Singapore Airlines, offering cheap hotel deals for passengers to encourage them to stay in the city.
STB has set itself bold targets to be hit by 2015: tourism receipts of S$30 billion, more than double the current total, and visitor numbers of 17
million.
The three agencies were picked after a “rigorous two-stage evaluation process” to ensure “a fair, transparent and rigorous evaluation” according to a statement from STB.
Connie Chan, managing director of MEC Singapore, said the win was “testimony to the integrated approach that MEC takes when working with clients to solve business challenges and the passion that our team feel for the unique experiences that Singapore has to offer.”
See Opinion
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