Sources said Ogilvy's presentation proved decisively successful, and the agency will now hub the business out of its Singapore office, developing a suite of creative work to run across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Indochina and India.
"Ogilvy & Mather has demonstrated clear, strategic and strong creative understanding of the brief and our brand," said Coca-Cola East, South Asia and Pacific Rim group marketing director Darren Marshall.
Marshall also played down speculation that the appointment would result in a reshuffle of Coca-Cola's local market agency relationships. "Coca-Cola will continue to work with a series of different agencies in order to implement campaigns and communication at a national level... but Ogilvy & Mather will be developing a creative strategic framework for brand Coca-Cola across the region."
The win follows Marshall's own relocation from Bangkok to Hong Kong to take on his newly enlarged role; previously he was marketing director for Southeast and West Asia. As part of the reshuffle, Coca-Cola Asia marketing director David Fielding is believed to have departed Hong Kong, while a new appointment to assume a regional innovation oversight role for Southeast and West Asia is expected shortly.
Ogilvy Singapore ECD Sonal Dabral has been charged with creative leadership on Coke, while Michael Borelli takes on regional business director duties.