INTERNATIONAL: Intel seeks agency to lead Asia-Pacific PR

HONG KONG: Computer chip manufacturer Intel is seeking an agency to

co-ordinate its PR for the Asia-Pacific region, a new account expected

to be worth a six-figure fee.

Shandwick, Fleishman-Hillard, Ogilvy PR Worldwide and hi-tech specialist

Euan Barty Associates were invited to pitch for the account earlier this

month in Hong Kong. Ogilvy pulled out before pitching because of a

client conflict.

Intel currently uses separate agencies in the countries which are part

of the Asia-Pacific region, including Shandwick in Hong Kong and F-H in

Singapore and the Philippines.

The new brief includes corporate and product PR and is expected to

involve liaising with Intel’s existing local agencies. It may also

include crisis management.

Annie Lau, Intel’s regional PR group manager, who co-ordinated the

pitch, declined to confirm that the company was looking for a lead

agency.

Intel is present in the following countries in Asia-Pacific: Hong Kong,

Australia, Korea, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand, Pakistan, Vietnam

and Singapore.

The company is headquartered in Santa Clara, California and develops and

manufactures chips for computers. Its main brands are the Pentium and

Celeron microprocessors and MMX processing technology. The company’s

’Intel Inside’ logo is licensed to appear on computers made by 1,500 PC

makers.

Last July, Intel registered profits for the second quarter of 1998 of

pounds 750 million and a turnover of pounds 3.7 billion. It described

its turnover for that period in the Asia-Pacific region as largely

unchanged compared with the first quarter.