SingTel picks BBDO

SINGAPORE - SingTel, Singapore's largest advertiser, has awarded its S$30 million (US$20 million) creative account to BBDO after a final shoot-out with Ogilvy & Mather and BatesAsia.

BBDO had been ruled out of the running after an earlier round of pitching. However, the Omnicom agency was invited back into the fray after Saatchi & Saatchi and Leo Burnett pulled out in November.

The news concludes a four-month review process, managed by R3, which saw 19-year incumbent Y&R withdraw from contention in October.

The client had been looking for an agency with a strong regional network as well as local strength as SingTel looks to cement its market lead over rivals StarHub and Mobile One.