Aside from JWT, TBWA also reportedly outgunned Bates in the final round of the review, following an initial stage that included several other agencies. While the pitch covered only the telecommunications giant’s high-end 156 brand, the scope of work has since been expanded to cover the other two GSM brands, U-Power and Ruyitong.
China Unicom moved to split its GSM and CDMA divisions earlier this year, putting overall incumbent JWT on alert. The WPP agency is, however, expected to retain the CDMA portion of the business.
