U Mobile begins search for creative agency

KUALA LUMPUR - U Mobile, Malaysia's newest 3G service provider, is reportedly on the lookout for a creative agency-of-record, putting nine-month incumbent Cheil Malaysia on alert.

The pitch comes just weeks after the telco handed its media account to MediaCom following a review process that began in November 2008.

Sources close to U Mobile suggest that the company’s procurement division has approached agencies to inform them about the pitch, though it is not clear which agencies have been invited.

Prior to Cheil’s work on the account, Euro RSCG oversaw U Mobile’s creative business for a year.

U Mobile, formerly called MiTV Networks, is owned by U Television. Two 3G operators, including KT Freetel and NTT DoCoMo, also have a 33 per cent stake in the company. KT Freetel recently announced that it would be selling off its stake in U Mobile.

In 2008, U Mobile launched its first publicly available product called Surf with U, which was followed by the launch of its post-paid and pre-paid services.