Tourism Malaysia selects its five agencies

The five agencies were among the 34 that submitted applications for the advertising tender bid, worth around RM600 million (US$198 million) in total, which closed on 16 August 2010.

The appointed agencies are Naga DDB for ASEAN; Smascom & Designs for North and East Asia; Sen Media for South Asia, West Asia and Africa; M & C Saatchi for Europe, America and Oceania; and Impact Creations for Domestic and Events.

Questions had been raised surrounded the pitch process as current contracts expired 31 December 2010 and the announcement deadline of 12 February 2011 loomed. Tourism Malaysia was also drawn into the spotlight by incumbent ISC Group’s withdrawal from the pitch, stating concerns about "ambiguities in the process."

A senior agency executive told Campaign this is not the first time controversy has surrounded the Tourism Malaysia business, saying that mulitnational networks had previously queried unknown and non-4A agencies involvment in business pitches.

ISC founder and president Austen Zecha yesterday lashed out at Malaysia’s 4A’s following remarks made by its president Vincent Lee.

“All I can say is that I have never been to a single 4As meeting here in all 36 years of Malaysian agency life as I’ve never felt that the 4As here have championed its members’ cause and Datuk Lee’s comments have reinforced my stance as they have undermined ISC’s integrity in its endeavour to try and create a more open and transparent tender process, a decision which was well thought through and definitely not one taken lightly or made last-minute, given that the contract was due to start 1 January this year,” said Zecha.