Incumbent Starcom, OMD and a local agency also pitched for the account, which includes planning and buying for Mars' range of confectionary and pet food brands operating under Effem Foods.
According to Quinn Taw, Beijing-based managing director at MindShare, the business is worth US$100 million. He said client conflict prevented MindShare, which handles Nestle and Frito Lay in China, from handling the business. "Mars was quite firm that they didn't want client conflict but they needed size and clout," said Taw.
The pitch required agencies to focus on planning through integrated communications.
Taw said BroadMind, WPP's sports marketing and syndicated programming division, was key to winning the business. Maximize's brief is to expand on Mars' strategy of featuring content through programme syndication.
"The pet foods business is growing and is becoming more competitive. Hong Kong is also an important market for Mars and it is competitive in terms of consumption," said Taw.
"Mars has done innovative creative work in the past. It has used media progressively, through such initiatives as featuring the M&M product on the Dream Maker show."
