Petron hands $10 million Philippine account to Starcom

The news follows a hard-fought three-month review involving Aegis Media's Carat and IPG's Universal McCann.

Lizelle Maralag, MD of SMG Philippines, commented: We are very fortunate to win the full planning and buying AOR assignment for Petron. After winning Coke AOR last March we are looking forward to working with our new partner, Petron.

Petron is among the top 20 advertisers in the Philippines. Its media account is currently handled by Ace Saatchi & Saatchi. However, its creative account is split between three agencies - Leo Burnett, Lowe and Saatchi & Saatchi.

Sources suggest that a creative pitch may follow the media review. The oil firm recently announced a slump in profits, despite increasing sales volume.