MindShare snares USdollars 45m Fox brief

TOKYO: WPP's MindShare has edged out incumbent Dentsu to win the media planning assignment in Japan for Twentieth Century Fox (Far East) in a five-way pitch. Dentsu's loss was compounded when Fox awarded the buying account to Asatsu-DK, which is 20 per cent owned by WPP. Separate pitches were held for the two assignments, which together is believed to be worth about USdollars 45 million annually. MindShare's brief is to work on all of Fox's major movie releases in Japan. The first assignment is the summer release of the Planet of the Apes - Tim Burton's new film inspired by the Pierre Bovile novel and 1968 film. MindShare will be working closely with Fox's in-house media team led by national marketing director Toshio Furusawa. Andrew Meaden, MindShare Japan director, said his agency won the planning brief by focusing on cost benefits analysis and by recommending creative solutions. "There was a very strong business focus in our presentation in terms of looking at how much should be spent, where it should be spent and what the expected returns would be. "In addition to recommending traditional media buys like TV and print, we also put together advertising options such as setting up a mobile ape cage on the back of a truck, complete with ape guards and human prisoners, which would form part of the teaser campaign," Meaden said. Geoffrey Bossiere, general manager of Twentieth Century Fox in Japan, said: "Fox in Japan has been blessed with excellent resources and successes in the past. The theatrical market environment and consumer attitudes are now changing rapidly. We want to maintain our marketing excellence by expanding our thought processes and methods to meet market needs." There were no changes in the creative side of the account, which is handled in-house in the United States.

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