Beacon scores coup by winning DoCoMo-AOL job

TOKYO: In what is seen as a rare coup, Beacon Communications KK has been appointed the main creative agency of the DoCoMo-AOL account in Japan. The move, according to industry sources, leaves Dentsu out in the cold as it is the media and creative agency of record of NTT DoCoMo - Japan's largest mobile telecommunications operator, whose annual marketing communications spend is about US$300 million. Beacon is the agency in Japan made up of Leo Burnett, D'Arcy and Dentsu. There was no pitch for the assignment, worth about US$6 million. However, media planning and buying is being handled by Dentsu. Beacon apparently picked up the business because its parent company Bcom3 - consisting of Leo Burnett and D'Arcy - has formed a strong relationship with AOL elsewhere in the world, particularly, Burnett in Canada and Brazil. Beacon's brief is to build a synergistic marketing and promotions programme and to build the DoCoMo-AOL brand name. An integrated campaign is expected to be rolled out before the end of the year. Alejandro Lopez, Beacon joint managing director and chief creative officer, described the appointment as a major milestone for the agency.

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