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.
