Maxis initiates creative review

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian telecom giant Maxis, the country's largest advertiser, is reviewing its estimated RM200 million (US$60 million) advertising account.

A brief and pitch dates have yet to be set, but incumbents BBDO, Ogilvy & Mather and Leo Burnett have been invited to pitch, along with Y&R, Lowe - and an undisclosed number of "top tier" agencies.

BBDO handles the pre-paid Maxis business while Ogilvy & Mather has the post-paid account, which it retained in January last year. Leo Burnett handles the telco's B2B services advertising.

"We are looking for long-term agency partners to help us win the next phase of the market evolution in Malaysia," Tom Schnitker, marketing director of Maxis, told Media.