The city's 2G market leader is gearing for a year-end launch under what has been dubbed as "a forgettable and banal global brand name "3", although it has auspicious connotations in Hong Kong.
Ogilvy & Mather, TBWA, Dentsu Young & Rubicam and local shop Market Catalyst are believed to have pitched for the launch assignment.
O&M is the incumbent on the Orange brand, which Hutchison operates under a franchise agreement with France Telecoms, while TBWA handles the company's 3G account in the UK.
It is believed that the winning agency will orchestrate the Hong Kong launch, handling creative, media planning and buying. Sources said the pitching agencies were asked to demonstrate their creative and strategic capabilities as well as how they would manage the assignment.
With its promise to deliver high-fidelity video and sound to mobile handsets, the business has the makings of a prized assignment in a city boasting one of the highest mobile phone penetration rates. Some quarters are counting on Hutchison's 3G launch to prop up the category's flagging adspend.
But with Hutchison's 3G global investments running to an estimated US$17.4 billion, other quarters doubted if the operator would be in a position to earmark a sizeable budget for the launch.
Hutchison's Hong Kong competitors include Sunday, SmarTone and CSL.
The telco's massive gamble to launch 3G in nine markets will kick off in the UK. It has confirmed that the UK launch will take place as scheduled in October despite concerns that technical limitations have yet to be addressed.
