Singapore Airlines (SIA) has appointed SQ1, a dedicated team from TBWA and PHD, to manage its global creative and media duties, following a six-month pitch process handled by R3.
Through a new integrated agency approach, TBWA and PHD will form a dedicated full-service unit under the name of SQ1 to provide overall strategy, creative, media planning and content narrative solutions, which will result in enhanced strategic marketing communications. The appointment will take effect from 1 April 2019 and the contract is effective for five years.
The appointment follows a competitive selection process initiated in August 2018, which saw a total of 11 agency groups bidding for the business, including incumbent agencies for creative and media services, TBWA and Zenith respectively.
“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 Campbell Wilson, Singapore Airlines’ Senior Vice President – Sales and Marketing.
“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.
Ara Hampartsoumian, Managing Director, TBWASingapore, commented: “What an honour to have been reappointed as SIA’s global agency of record together with our media partner PHD. I’m extremely proud of the synergy of both teams. For us, success was the only option, and our persistent passion, energy and ambition for the SIA brand won in the end.”
“We are thrilled to evolve our longstanding relationship with this iconic brand, partnering with them as the airline continues to modernise and transform its business for the future. We look forward to developing innovative and integrated marketing solutions that will continue to strengthen their preeminent position as the greatest airline in the world.”
James Hawkins, CEO of PHD APAC, added: “We are delighted to have been appointed the integrated communications duties for Singapore Airlines. This appointment is a testament to the strength of PHD and TBWA’s integrated approach, which allowed us to unlock the best of media and creative and to deliver the type of fresh thinking that can ultimately take an iconic brand like Singapore Airlines to even greater heights. As one team, which we have called SQ1, we look forward to leveraging the best of both our capabilities in driving innovative and impactful communications for the airline.”
