Singapore Tourism Board concludes global creative and media pitches

Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has appointed BBH and Zenith to manage global creative and media duties respectively, following a pitch called last October which was managed by Ebiquity. The appointment is for an initial two years and three months with effect from 21 January 2022, with options for the contract to be renewed thereafter on an annual basis for three years.

BBH and Zenith, together with Digitas (digital, data and development partner) and Prodigious (creative production partner), participated in the RFP as a consortium known as The Shophouse. Throughout the process, STB said they stood out for their strong strategic thinking, creative ideas and agile application of insights in their strategy development and execution plans. In addition, they have put together a team with the right experience, tools, and a well-considered network management process to support STB in Singapore and across our international offices.

Amrita Randhawa, CEO Publicis Groupe Singapore and Southeast Asia, said the team is beyond delighted. "The opportunity to craft the next chapter of the communications experience for audiences global and domestic for the iconic nation of Singapore is an incredible honour especially given the incredible history that STB has. Ian Loon, Sid Tuli and I thank everyone at STB for placing their trust in the integrated Power of One offer comprising BBH, Zenith, Digitas and Prodigious that we have dubbed The Shophouse @ Publicis. We are humbled, excited and can’t wait to get started on the strategic challenge of helping STB navigate tourism recovery in the coming years," she added.

There were seven agencies vying for the accounts: BBDO Singapore, BBH Communications, BLKJ Havas, GroupM Singapore, Havas Media APAC, VMLY&R, and incumbent Zenith. Meanwhile, former creative incumbent TBWA\Singapore did not pitch for the account. The agency had been managing integrated creative, digital and production duties since 2016.

“STB would like to thank all agencies who had put in tremendous effort and time to participate in our RFP. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank our incumbent creative agency TBWA\ for their valuable contributions for the past six years,” said Chang Chee Pey, STB's assistant chief executive, marketing group.

He added that as travel gradually resumes, STB is excited to work with The Shophouse to recapture demand and strengthen Singapore’s appeal as a safe, vibrant and forward-looking destination. "Together with our new partners, we look forward to delivering agile, bold and creative marketing that will support Singapore’s tourism recovery," he said. Chang succeeded Lynette Pang in his new role just last year while she joined National Arts Council as deputy chief. He was previously assistant chief executive, international group. 

The Gebiz tender previously seen by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE noted that the key areas of creative services include account management, strategic communications planning, communication plan execution and evaluation, influencer management and marketing, marketing innovation, digital production services, and training.

The agencies should also offer fresh perspectives building upon the Singapore destination brand, Passion Made Possible. At the same time, the proposal should also demonstrate how the agency would refresh Passion Made Possible in terms of a campaign approach and creative execution, against the backdrop of technological, political, cultural and consumer changes in the past two years.

According to the tender, the global creative strategy proposed should also be adapted and executed for China, South Korea, and the US, as well as focus on sustainability and demonstrate how Singapore's Green Plan 2030 ambition can be woven into the proposed strategy.

Meanwhile, the key areas for media services include account management, media planning and buying, content services, media campaign reporting, and governance and transparency. The agencies are expected to support STB in both domestic and international marketing and work closely with STB marketing group in Singapore as well as STB regional offices in countries including Australia, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, UK, the US and South Korea, among others. The proposal was also expected to contain marketing innovation and creativity in consumer or travellers targeting and engagement cutting through today’s increasing marketing clutter, delivering impact and ROI.

Photo courtesy: 123RF