Maxis chooses McCann Erickson and Leo Burnett

In an email response to Campaign's queries, the telco said it conducted a review of its creative agencies in the second half of last year, as a matter of routine and part of a corporate governance process.

“After an extensive evaluation and due consideration, we have selected McCann Erickson and Leo Burnett as our creative agencies,” the company added.

Last year, Maxis invited five agencies, including incumbent Ogilvy & Mather, BBDO/Proximity, Leo Burnett, McCann Erickson and Saatchi & Saatchi to the pitch held in August.

The pitch is for its entire local remit including prepaid category, Hotlink. It followed a report back in June 2011 that the telecommunications giant planned to review its local creative business.

Commenting on the appointment, Tony Savarimuthu, CEO at McCann Worldgroup Malaysia, said, "Maxis is a leader brand and an important catalyst for creativity in the technology and content space. We are looking forward to this assignment as it promises a tremendous opportunity for our professionals to learn and grow."

Maxis had split its creative business, worth around US$60 million, between Ogilvy & Mather and BBDO in January 2007 after a pitch that involved BBDO, Leo Burnett Y&R and Lowe.