Coke shortlists M&C for Asia project

Media Asia 15-Jul-05, 04:59

Coca-Cola has narrowed its pitch to handle a new creative assignment for the core Coke brand in Southeast Asia down to just one agency — M&C Saatchi.

M&C's hold on the business has yet to be assured, however, as Coke is believed to be comparing the work submitted in the pitch with an Ogilvy campaign from Latin America that may be adjusted to air in Asia. The Latin American campaign performed well for Coke, with almost 10 different executions thought to be in contention against the work produced by M&C Saatchi. It is not known which agency will be assigned the task of adapting the Ogilvy work, should Coke decide against M&C Saatchi. A decision is expected shortly in order to get the campaign on air in September.

The creative will initially air in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, with a possible extension to other markets in Southeast Asia.

M&C Saatchi pitched for the business against BBH, Lowe and McCann Erickson, three other agencies handling Coke in the markets where the new campaign will run.

A spokesperson for Coke said the review was part of a periodic re-evaluation of creative resources and should not affect other agencies' business in the region. There has been speculation that the review could trigger a reshuffle of Coke's creative alignments in the region, with success by M&C Saatchi placing the agency in a good position to consolidate its hold on Coke business in Thailand, currently held by Lowe.

The new campaign is thought to herald a new approach for Coke in Asia, modelled on its experiences in Latin America, where agencies are awarded key regional campaigns to produce bigger budget executions and maintain brand consistency, while allowing relative autonomy for local offices.