SINGAPORE: Coca-Cola has put its Singapore account up for review,
claiming its current "Life tastes good" brand campaign failed to meet
expectations.
Incumbent McCann-Erickson, Saatchi & Saatchi, Lowe Lintas & Partners and
M&C Saatchi were asked to develop a new brand positioning.
The submissions are being tested out in a consumer research exercise to
help Coke in the selection process.
The "Life tastes good" campaign was developed by McCann-Erickson in the
US and launched globally in April.
McCann Singapore adapted the campaign for the city. The campaign toed
the global strategy but featured a local band Urban Xchange. It is
understood that Darren Marshall, Coke's head of marketing for south-west
Asia, ditched the "Hwah" campaign he was working on to make way for the
global campaign.
Agencies in the pitch declined comment, saying they were concerned about
media coverage as it remained unclear whether Coke Singapore has
notified its Atlanta head office about reviewing the account, which is
internationally aligned to McCanns.
The machinations in Singapore coincide with news in the US that Coke has
altered some ads, removing the "Life tastes good" tagline after the
September 11 US attacks.
