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Published on October 19, 2007

Agencies Leo Burnett, Saatchi and Saatchi and Far East DDB are candidates for a Bt30-million budget from the Tourism Authority of Thailand to run advertising and communications campaigns for the domestic market in 2008.

Local firm Leo Burnett is also in the running for TAT's Bt140-million international contract.

Suraphon Svetasreni, the authority's deputy governor for marketing communications, said yesterday that from seven companies that submitted their proposals, the three companies were shortlisted for an electronic auction for the local assignment and the winner will be named today. The contract will be signed by November and the winner will be in charge of TAT's domestic activities until next September.

Leo Burnett and McCann-Erickson Two are shortlisted for the electronic auction for the state agency's international job.

TAT plans to spend Bt170 million on advertising and public communications in 2008. While Bt30 million is allocated for domestic activities, the remaining Bt140 million is for overseas activities.

Suraphon said the TAT would make the decision on its international agency on October 29 and the contract would be signed by December.

It is the first time the TAT has recruited advertising agencies through electronic bidding.

"Our main advertising theme for 2008 is Amazing Thailand," Suraphon said, adding that this would be the theme for both domestic and international markets.

A senior staff member at Far East DDB told The Nation yesterday that the auction winner would be determined mainly by pricing as all applicants have passed the criteria in terms of advertising concepts.

"However, I don't think that the price offered by the agencies participating in today's electronic auction will differ widely as low prices could hurt the quality of creative work. The TAT will also take into account the presentations of those agencies before making the decision," said the source.

In the past two years, Creative Juice\G1 was appointed sole agency for the TAT. It had also run advertising campaigns for the agency for the previous four years.

CEO Vithawat Chaipani said the company did not take part in the bidding this time as it believed electronic bidding was not an appropriate means to look for an advertising agency.

He said this job needed creativity and a fully illustrated context to tell the story or campaign.

He criticised the TAT, saying it had opted for an electronic auction because it wanted to cut the budget.

"We will lose the TAT, which is one of our biggest clients with high billings. However, we will find another company to replace it," said Vithawat.

Suchat Sritama

 The Nation