ATLANTA: Ketchum has scored a second win this week, this time with
sister ad agency BBDO, beating out three other ad-PR teams to represent
the Panama tourism board.
For the past two years, Interpublic's McCann-Erickson ad agency
represented Panama in a $1 million deal with little PR work. This
win has been cited as a $10 million account.
The new program will involve 15-20 international Ketchum staffers, as
Panama targets audiences in the US, Canada, Chile, Columbia, Argentina,
Costa Rica, France, Italy, Germany, and Spain. Ines Rodriguez-Gutzmer,
VP/GM of Ketchum's Latin America group, will lead the account from
Atlanta.
Rodriguez-Gutzmer said she plans limited media relations.
"Panama is not for everyone," she said. "We're going to focus on key
influencers in target audiences such as ecotourism, adventure, and
historical travel."
To win the account, Ketchum bested teams from BVK/Pumer Imagen 10 with
Fleishman-Hillard, Diaz/TBWA with Roberto Gaudelli y Asociados, and
incumbent McCannErickson World Group/Panama.
