OFF THE VINE: Vine makes SIA account prediction

<p>Year after year we have been tempted to publish rumours that the </p><p>long-entrenched Singapore Airlines account is about to move from Batey </p><p>Ads. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>And year after year we have shied away from it, knowing that we are </p><p>being lured into a coconut-tree shaking exercise manipulated by rival </p><p>agencies. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Now it's happening again. Apparently a brief has gone out for the media </p><p>part of the business (currently held by MindShare) and the creative part </p><p>is said to be not far behind. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>This, however, would be an odd thing. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Singapore Airlines is now tipped to become a global player of enormous </p><p>importance (as if it wasn't already), and its agency Batey is now part </p><p>of the world's biggest agency network, WPP, which owns O&M, JWT, Y&R and </p><p>a host of other specky things that make an enormous critical mass. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>So if SIA wanted a more thorough global coverage, surely they would </p><p>stick to their current set-up. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>There you have it. If the SIA account moves after 20 years we told you </p><p>here first; if it doesn't, we told you why it wouldn't. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>