UOB shortlists prospective agencies

Singapore - United Overseas Bank Limited (UOB) has shortlisted BBDO and Saatchi & Saatchi to join incumbent DDB in the pitch process for its regional creative business. The two shortlisted agencies trumped Euro RSCG and The Alchemy Partnership during the recently concluded first phase of the review, which involved a credentials presentation. The winning agency is expected to be announced in August.

"We are delighted -- the work has just begun, there're a lot of challenges and it's an exciting opportunity for BBDO Singapore," said Seshadri Sampath, CEO of said agency. "We have the talent, local knowledge and relevant experience, and we want to leverage this across all the target markets of Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand."

Simone Bartley, CEO, Saatchi & Saatchi told Marketing Weekly that the UOB business is one that the agency had been "actively courting for some time". She added that Saatchi's category experience "runs deep", and "with our fully integrated model, I'm convinced we would have a successful business partnership."

UOB's media business is currently handled by Universal McCann. The bank again declined to comment.