DDB, which edged out Publicis, JWT and incumbent Ogilvy & Mather for the HK$15 million (US$2 million) business, will focus on strategic brand positioning and integrated creative solutions, including main media channels, online interactive, events and direct mail.
At press time, DDB's media partner OMD beat WPP's MindShare for the media portion.
According to DDB Hong Kong head of business Richard Leong, the agency won the brief after demonstrating an understanding of the brand's strategic goals. "The work they had done in the past was very problem and solution-focused, and the brand needed greater inspiration, because people lose their self-esteem if they are projected as having a problem," said Leong. "There is no point highlighting the problem. Rather, we have to understand that it plays a bigger role in their lives, and we want to motivate them to reach out, purchase the brand and make it a regular habit."
According to Leong, work has already started on DDB's first creative assignment for Cerebos, and although he declined to reveal when the work would break, he said it would feature a combination of traditional media, with an emphasis on online, CRM and direct marketing.
"We need a synergistic approach...We have a larger story to tell, and that story cannot be told in a 30-second television commercial."
