The pitch will see the bank consolidate its advertising with one agency, covering Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. BBDO has confirmed its presence at the review; the agency holds the Hong Kong business and will, reportedly, pitch against Lowe, McCann-Erickson and Leo Burnett.
J.Walter Thompson currently handles the bulk of Standard Chartered's Asian business. However, with JWT now the lead agency for HSBC following the bank's global consolidation of its business with the WPP Group, few are surprised that Standard Chartered has opted for a review. "Although we have not been informed formally, we have heard the business is up for pitch," said JWT area director for Asia-Pacific South, Patrick Pitcher.
"It's not unexpected because once WPP won HSBC, within the industry the expectation was that Standard Chartered would be going up for pitch," said Michelle Kristula-Green, regional president of Burnett, which has the Korea and Philippines briefs.
The pitch is expected to consist of two rounds, with a written proposal stage at the end of July, and presentations in August.
While Lowe would make a strong contender based on its impressive work for HSBC, BBDO vice chairman Tom Kao said: "As one of the incumbent agencies, we are very geared up to win."
McCann declined comment, although sources confirmed that it is expected to pitch. Similarly, Burnett is expected to defend its stake. Other agencies mentioned for the pitch were DDB, which could not be reached for a comment, and Saatchi & Saatchi, which refused comment.
Standard Chartered's primary market is in Asia, and many believe the time is ripe for a revamp as it is dwarfed by HSBC in the region.