SOUTHEAST ASIA, SEPTEMBER 15, 2011: Starcom has been appointed media agency of record for Mars and Wrigley across five markets in Southeast Asia as the food company consolidates its media business across Asia.
Mars South East Asia, Mars Thailand, and Wrigley Asia-Pacific (subsidiaries of Mars, Incorporated) announced today the selection of Starcom, a division of Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG), as its media planning and buying agency of record for South Asia covering Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines.
Following the October 2008 merger of Mars and Wrigley, a formal review was conducted for media planning and buying responsibilities. The agency assessment included MEC, OMD and Starcom.
Prior to the pitch GroupM’s MEC handled Wrigley’s media buying and planning in South Asia while Omnicom Media Group agencies have handled Mars media planning and buying in the region. Starcom was appointed media AOR in China last year.
“The decision was not an easy one due to best-in-class agencies participation in the pitch,” said David Glass, Vice-President Marketing, Wrigley Asia-Pacific. “We appreciate the hard work and professionalism demonstrated by MEC throughout our relationship and wish them the best. The merger of Mars and Wrigley has provided us with a unique opportunity to strengthen our competitive advantage and create additional value for our combined businesses. We believe that by partnering with Starcom we are better positioned to realize these opportunities at the local and at the regional levels”.
"Starcom was appointed based on their superior planning and buying expertise with great insights into our brands and target, as well as the quality of their team which will all be instrumental in delivering Mars Inc. growth objective in the years to come” said Helen Villanueva, Marketing Director, Mars Thailand Inc.
On partnering with Mars-Wrigley, Jeffrey Seah, CEO Southeast Asia for Starcom MediaVest Group, said: “We are honored to be appointed by Mars-Wrigley in Southeast Asia, which is a key region for the company where many of its brands and products are household names. We hope to deliver on our promise for Mars-Wrigley’s business, to help connect their brands with people in the right spaces. Here’s to the start of a long and fruitful partnership.”
