Marriott's Global Media Review Enters Final Stage

MEC and ZenithOptimedia are the last agencies standing in Marriott International's global media review.

Marriott executives have briefed the shops and final presentations are scheduled for Oct. 19 at the hotel chain's headquarters in Bethesda, Md. A decision is expected shortly thereafter.

Both finalists are roster shops, with MEC handling project work in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and ZenithOptimedia working on the brand in the Asia-Pacific region.

Globally, Marriott spends an estimated $80 million annually. In the U.S. alone last year, media spending on all brands exceeded $57 million, according to Nielsen. That figure doesn't include online outlays.

The finalists emerged from a bigger pack that also included Carat and Starcom—the incumbents in the U.S. and Latin America, respectively.

The review does not include paid search marketing (now at Publicis Modem and other shops) or Marriott's creative business (split between mcgarrybowen and Team One). Joanne Davis Consulting in New York is managing the process.