INCHON CITY: Burson-Marsteller has been appointed by the Inchon
International Airport Authority in South Korea on an account with fees
of more than pounds 3 million - one of the biggest PR account wins ever
in the Asia-Pacific region.
The agency was appointed after a four-way pitch against Hill and
Knowlton, Edelman and Fleishman-Hillard (PR Week, 8 October).
Initially the account carried a request for proposals (RFP) budget of
pounds 4 million. This is now under negotiation.
B-M acquired its former joint-venture partner in South Korea, Merit
Communications, in September. Merit/Burson-Marsteller representative
director Bryan Matthews said: ’It was the most comprehensive and complex
RFP we have ever received.’
B-M’s task will be to position the airport as a regional hub for
Northeast Asia, overshadowing Seoul’s Kimpo airport and competing with
Shanghai’s Pudong airport and Narita in Tokyo. It will aim to drive
interest among investors, franchisees and major airlines before the
launch of Terminal 1 early in 2001.
Several international airlines dropped unprofitable Korean routes during
the Asian recession, most of which have yet to resume services.
The PR-led consortium bid also included advertising agencies and airport
consultancies. B-M teamed up with advertising sister DY&R and Washington
DC-based GKMG - which will support the campaign with analysis.
