Interpublic has put forward the two agencies for the pitch, which is taking place at holding company level in Seoul, and is expected to conclude in the third week of June. "FCB will be the agency going forward," said FCB Asia-Pacific president and CEO Ben Barnes. "In some areas we will be collaborating with some of our sister companies."
FCB has held the account since late 2000, but will face fierce competition from Omnicom Group, WPP and Publicis Groupe, which are all proposing a range of through-the-line and media agency contenders, in line with the brief. "The question is which holding company can give Samsung an array of communications options, including CRM and PR," said a source.
WPP's offering is tipped to consist of J. Walter Thompson, MindShare and Red Cell.
Speculation also persists that Publicis Groupe has been eliminated from the review.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, however, a senior Publicis Groupe source confirmed that the holding company had progressed to the second round of the pitch.
"We are into the second round," said the source. "(Publicis) is participating in the pitch through Leo Burnett." Starcom is, reportedly, the group's media contender.
Several sources claimed that FCB had struggled to crack the 'DigitAll' brief. "I don't think there's anything that punctuated the review other than the tenure itself," Barnes responded.
In addition, questions have been raised over the relationship between FCB and Cheil Communications, the Samsung subsidiary that handles Korea work, along with some international assignments. The account is expected to grow by up to 20 per cent in 2005, to capitalise on Samsung's Olympic sponsorship.