Saatchis now shares the account with McCann-Erickson, but has specific responsibilities for certain products, such as Cybershot, Sony's biggest-selling product last year, and the XPlod, a car audio device.
The account was valued at US$3 million in 2003. "I think we clicked with Sony straightaway. They have a genuine belief in the power of big ideas to transform business, and have ambitious yet exciting challenges ahead," said Matt Seddon, chief executive officer of Saatchis Malaysia.
McCann-Erickson has worked on the account for the last 12 months and, according to Tony Savarimuthu, managing director, McCann-Erickson Malaysia, Sony has traditionally split its account.
"Sony consolidated most of the work between two agencies last year and have continued that practice. In terms of both budget and categories, it's evenly split between the two agencies," he said.
With regard to Saatchis' future plans on the account, Seddon said: "Our first work will break mid-year... We are expecting to be given a crack at other briefs currently being worked on by McCann, later in the year."