Industry sources told Media the final shootout was between Burnett and JWT, with incumbent agencies BBDO and Asatsu among those contesting the earlier stages of the pitch, alongside Grey and local shop Guo Hwa. The win means Burnett will be responsible for three previously separate pieces of business: fixed line, data communications and mobile services, for a 12-month period. Government regulations stipulate that the brief must be repitched every year.
One industry source said it would be a difficult account to service. "I think they will have to recruit a lot of people, and I forecast they will need about 40 people to handle the three parts of the business," said the source. "Even when (Chunghwa) had a few agencies, each of the agencies was working extremely hard on their respective pieces of business."
It is believed the company is eyeing other Southeast Asia markets in a bid to expand its revenue base in the face of a saturated domestic market. The firm, which controls two-fifths of the domestic market, posted a Q1 net profit of US$308 million, down 14 per cent from a year earlier.
