The review is specific to Singapore and does not affect Bates’ global relationship with Heineken International - the brand owner based in Amsterdam.
Several agencies are believed to be involved in the review, although Heineken marketing manager Desmond Tan denied this.
Several agencies are believed to be involved in the review, although Heineken marketing manager Desmond Tan denied this.
Tan said: “Every relationship has its ups and downs, and we are reviewing our working relationship with Bates. This is simply a performance review.”
However, a source suggested that the client has been unhappy with the agency’s recent track record and high staff turnover.
Last month, Bates141 Singapore hired Travis Jorge, formerly a freelancer at BBH Singapore, as creative director to lead the Heineken account (Media, 11 April).
Jorge arrived a month after the departure of Raymond Quah to Publicis Modem Singapore. Bates141 regional director, Southeast Asia, Peter Skalberg would not comment on the news, but said: “I have worked with Heineken for 15 years. They are a great client and a great brand, and we have enjoyed a very fruitful relationship.”
In Singapore, the Heineken brand has been growing at 15 to 20 per cent year-on-year since Bates took on the account in 1999. A marketing highlight of the relationship has been the Heineken Green Room, a Bates-devised brand activation concept which connects Heineken to emerging new bands. The music concept has since been exported to countries including Ireland and New Zealand.
Other highlights have included Bates’ sponsorship advertising around the Rugby World Cup. Overseas, Bates has handled the launch advertising for Heineken in Vietnam and Thailand.
The famous Dutch beer has proved to be one of the more successful marketing stories within Asia-Pacific Breweries Singapore’s brand portfolio, which includes Baron’s and Singapore’s iconic home brew, Tiger.
While Heineken’s positioning has remained consistent, Tiger has suffered from numerous attempts to revamp its image. High churn in APB’s marketing department combined with disagreement between the regional and local operations have been partly to blame.
In April last year, APB parted company with its then agency BBH after just four months, ultimately over a disagreement over creative work between APB’s local and regional marketing teams.
Tiger is a mass-market brand, but the regional team is believed to want to position the brand further upmarket - a niche already occupied by Heineken.
Heineken sales in Singapore grew in 2007, with domestic volume up four per cent on the back of promotional ties with box-office hits The Bourne Ultimatum and Heineken Green Room.
