The review, which covers all Coca-Cola brands, was whittled down from six to three agencies after a first round of credentials presentations.
The incumbent, Interpublic’s Initiative, will defend the business in a final round involving WPP’s MediaCom and Publicis Groupe’s Starcom. A number of agencies, including Universal McCann, were ruled out of contention because of conflicts.
The process will be concluded in three months. Finalists will present in July and will be evaluated on consumer insights, strategic thinking, negotiations, innovation and systems and processes, said Coca-Cola Asia Pacific’s international media director, Gavin Mehrotra.
“This is a competitive review and if Initiative gets the highest score against the criteria agencies are briefed on, then it will retain the business,” he said.
“If, however, we find that any of the agencies on the short-list perform better and have the potential of better managing our media business, then we will consider switching.”
