ISCB leads agencies eyeing Burnett-held MAS account

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airlines (MAS), which came under new management four months ago, has put its media and creative account up for pitch in line with government regulations on supplier arrangements. At media's press-time, seven of Malaysia's top agencies, including incumbent Leo Burnett and Starcom, participated in the first round of presentations for the airline, which is majority owned by the Government. Other agencies believed to be pitching are TBWA, DDB, McCann-Erickson, Ogilvy & Mather, Grey and ISCB. There is speculation that ISCB, which is widely acknowledged to have extensive travel and airline experience, has an edge over rivals. Its chief Austin Zecha was formerly a shareholder and head of AMC, which handled the MAS account a few years ago. ISCB recently resigned the Royal Brunei Airlines brief to avoid a conflict of interest issue. Grey Worldwide Southeast Asia managing director John Burbidge said MAS' new management was aware that the airline needed to address its inconsistent brand image. "In the past a lot of the ad decisions were left to the end market, which has reduced the consistency of the brand image," Burbidge said. "The opportunity to present brand-driven image work for a blue-chip account is not to be missed," he added.

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