JWT reeling from latest PCCW loss

HONG KONG: J. Walter Thompson has lost the CSL 1010 mobile telephone account, its second major loss of a multi-million dollar chunk of the Pacific Century CyberWorks (PCCW) business. PCCW moved the account to Euro RSCG, which had earlier won another sizeable portion of the telephone operator's business. JWT's problems started at the beginning of the year when it lost the One2Free brief - another CSL mobile telecommunications brand - to Freeway Communications in a competitive pitch. However, Freeway only held the account for a few months before relinquishing it to Euro. The latter was initially appointed to work on a campaign to promote its Music FreeR service, but Euro succeeded in upgrading the relationship to agency of record status on the One2Free brand last month. The latest move of the 1010 account is more significant because of the size of the business. CSL claims it has more than one million customers, which represents a 20 per cent market share, making it one of the leading mobile telephony players in Hong Kong. CSL general manager of marketing communications and public relations, Michelle Au, said there was no pitch for the account. She said Euro was appointed based on its track record. "1010 has always played a frontline role in developing its products and services as well as marketing strategies. It is natural for us to seek a working partner that will help us achieve our goals," she said. Euro creative partner Julie Ng attributed the win to "one big team effort". She also revealed that the agency had hired five people to form a business management team to handle 1010 and One2Free. JWT Hong Kong chief executive William Lau said major changes within CSL over the past year-and-a-half, chiefly its purchase by PCCW, contributed to both losses. "After CSL was taken over by PCCW, some CSL staffers whom we worked with for many years left. And as new people took over, it was natural for the client to ask for an agency review even though we were their agency for the past four years," Lau said.

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