JWT reeling from latest PCCW loss

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