MEC and OMD up for problem gambling fight

Singapore - Mediaedge:cia and OMD are believed to be finalists in the last leg of a tender by The Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), for a public awareness campaign on problem gambling.

Results of the tender are expected to be announced soon and it is likely that sister companies of the two agencies from both WPP and Omnicom respectively will be aiding the contest.

The job will involve creative, publicity, media buying and planning as the MCYS called for an integrated communications campaign to develop a theme, taglines and key messages for different target audiences.

Core targets include problem gamblers and their families to help them identify signs and symptoms of problem gambling and also to direct them to services and helplines. The secondary objective is to develop deterrent messages targeted towards youths as they form another potential high risk group.

The initiative was headed by the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) to promote better understanding on problem gambling and to highlight the services available to assist problem gamblers as well as their families.

All parties including media agencies and the awarding party NCPG declined comment.

The two rival agencies will also go head-to-head for the Sony regional media business as reported by Marketing.