Three major ad agency groups are waiting for the results of an intensive pitch for the giant MTN account. TBWA, which originally launched the brand in SA, is up against a consortium of WPP that includes Aqua Online and the PR agency Burson-Marsteller; and there’s French-owned group Publicis.
All three have been encouraged to pull together best-practice skills from their affiliates in line with what many global brands are now asking of their agencies.
MetropolitanRepublic, the current SA incumbent agency, is not on the list. Others that fell by the wayside after the account was put out to pitch include the Dentsu Aegis Network, Havas and the Interpublic Group.
Agencies presenting this week have to address and provide solutions for 30 marketing tasks.
The Financial Mail understands there have been mutterings from some of MTN’s African operations who are concerned that an agency chosen in SA might be forced on them. All agencies pitching have to have strong continental capability.
At the same time the giant Liberty Group is also out to pitch. Agencies that will vie for the account in early October include McCann, Owen Kessel Leo Burnett, TBWA and DDB.
Liberty has previously worked with the FoxP2 agency.