Omnicom is feeling pretty good today after snapping up a nice bit of global business (to the reported tune of $100 million) from Singapore Airlines (SIA). After a review that started in August 2018 and included 11 agency groups, PHD won the media business away from Zenith while TBWA scored the re-up for creative duties.
R3 oversaw the review.
Part of the pitch process included retaining the oft-lauded airline’s long-standing Singapore Girl—female flight attendants decked out in the brand’s sarong which has been part of its marketing since the early 1970s.
“As we carried out our review it was clear that our underlying branding approach, which consists of the iconic Singapore Girl and an emphasis on customer service as a crucial differentiator, remains current and continues to set us apart in our industry,” said Singapore Airlines’ svp of sales and marketing, Campbell Wilson said.
“We are confident that TBWA and PHD will now be able to creatively execute that promise with a more modern touch, bringing about an evolution in our branding and marketing communications,” he added.
TBWA, Adweek’s Global Agency of the Year, and PHD will start working on the business in April as part of a five-year engagement. The agencies will jointly handle overall strategy, creative, media planning, et cetera.
“[It’s] an honor to have been reappointed as SIA’s global agency of record together with our media partner PHD,” said Ara Hampartsoumian, managing director of TBWA\Singapore. “I’m extremely proud of the synergy of both teams; for us, success was an only option, and our persistent passion, energy and ambition for the SIA brand won in the end.”
Here’s the most recent global campaign, “Making every journey personal,” created by TBWA\Singapore and released last March.