SingTel puts $30m media brief to pitch

<p>SINGAPORE: The US$30 million Singapore Telecommunications media </p><p>account is under review as the telecom giant moves to boost cost </p><p>efficiencies in a recessionary climate. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Sources close to the pitch said that SingTel was moving to "make its </p><p>advertising dollar work harder and it is looking at achieving its goal </p><p>by possibly consolidating with one media agency". Agencies said to be </p><p>pitching include The Media Edge (TME), Starcom, Carat and Zenith. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>TME is believed to have an edge over rivals because it currently handles </p><p>the bulk of the media. It is estimated that TME and its parent, Dentsu </p><p>Young & Rubicam, handle as much as 70 per cent of the entire SingTel </p><p>account. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"It would be the safest decision," said a source </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The existing set-up is far from clear to determine who would pose a </p><p>major challenge to TME. Starcom, which handles youth brand Pod and </p><p>places some of the retail ads for mobile services, also looks after the </p><p>planning and buying for SingTel's global corporate advertising outside </p><p>of Singapore. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>This is split further as TME handles ad rate negotiations for press, </p><p>while Starcom does television rate negotiations. Although no review has </p><p>been called on the advertising side, this is again handled by a </p><p>mish-mash of agencies. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Additional reporting by Leithen Francis. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>