The assignment covers all Marriott brands in Asia, which include Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Renaissance Hotels, JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Marriott Executive Apartments and Courtyard.
The business was awarded after a pitch with an undisclosed number of agencies. McCann Worldgroup agency MRM Partners was the incumbent.
“Marriott is already a well-known name in Asia, and our brief is to build its brands and help them realise their growth potential,” said Laurie Kwong, chief executive of Publicis Hong Kong.
Marriott International’s regional VP brand marketing for Asia, Pacific and Australia, Johara Haniffa, who joined the company from Y&R Hong Kong in 2005, said: “Publicis showed that they are a highly strategic group of people, and that they are passionate about our business — which is rare for agencies these days.
They showed us some refreshing insights on how the consumer is changing and how the hospitality industry is evolving.”
Haniffa would not reveal how the appointment would affect Marriott’s marketing plans for the year.
Marriott’s advertising to date has focused on pan-Asian TV, such as CNN, international print and inflight advertising.
Last month, the Washington-based company reported sales of US$12.2 billion for 2006.
