Carat, OMD, Mediabrands and Mediacom are selected for all 10 of the markets up for grabs: China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates.
Optimedia, meanwhile, was shortlisted only for the Vietnam market, where it is the incumbent. The incumbent media agency for nine of the other markets is OMD.
The pitch, which was called earlier, is in line with Fonterra's policy to review media capabilities and rates on a market-by-market basis. The shortlisted agencies will proceed to the second phase of "credentials and chemistry meetings". The request for pitch (RFP) will then be issued to the shortlisted agencies for their final presentations.
Marketing consultancy R3 is managing the tender process to ensure that tender respondents meet Fonterra’s requirements.
