Ogilvy, which also handles Hutchison's Orange brand, won the advertising component of 3's latest campaign, in a pitch between the two, while TBWA and Tequila were tapped for integrated marketing and below-the-line work.
"We are seeing this as the first campaign and we will continue to play the role as the on-going steward for the brand," said Ogilvy's Hong Kong MD, Royce Yuen. "3 is facing a lot of market perception issues." Yuen added: "We are expecting the relationship to grow... our goal is the whole account."
In response, TBWA Asia-Pacific regional chairman Keith Smith admitted that he expected more projects to go to pitch, but reiterated that TBWA is still 3's AOR.
"I think it's quite likely that they might have these pitches on a regular basis," said Smith.
"They are not unhappy," added Stewart Li, TBWA's general manager in Hong Kong. "In reality we are working on advertising for the client day-to-day."
The campaign itself is based on the theme of 'quality' and aims to correct certain negative perceptions associated with 3's services, such as short battery life and inadequate network coverage. Ogilvy developed TVCs, print, outdoor and POS to communicate the messages that, firstly, 3 is offering a free software upgrade to improve battery life and, secondly, that 3's customers can automatically receive 2.5G coverage where 3G coverage is unavailable. "One TVC features a young couple - where the long battery life helps the conversation continue," said Yuen.
Meanwhile, TBWA and Tequila's initiative is based on the theme of 'Open your eyes and clear your misconceptions'. The 'teaser' campaign saw six live statues wearing blindfolds, performing at busy urban areas, to deliver the message. The brand has been dogged by service complaints since its launch earlier in the year.