Agency bags global mandate following multi-agency pitch.
J. Walter Thompson’s Cairo office has won the global marketing communications mandate for Egypt’s national carrier EgyptAir, following a pitch process.
The pitch began in August 2014, informed an agency statement. The agency’s mandate will be to support the airline’s management in overhauling the carrier’s business and all-round customer experience. There will be increased focus on international markets as a source of growth.
On the agency’s selection, Hesham El-Nahas, chairman, EgyptAir Holding Company, said, “In J. Walter Thompson we have the best of all worlds; a world-class award winning Egyptian team at our fingertips closely plugged into J. Walter Thompson’s MEA and global networks. Their concept and strategy for the airline, together with their understanding of the business, was second to none. Allied to this was their ability to leverage strategic partnerships within the WPP group, meaning we have an intense amalgam of knowledge and expertise driving the ‘face of the nation’ to the next level.”
“We are truly proud that EgyptAir have entrusted us with the business development task at hand for the nation’s flagship carrier. It is testament to our depth of experience and networked resources that we will be able to deliver on the enormity of the project bearing in mind that our client’s competitors are major international players,” added Amal el Masri, CEO, Cairo and chief strategy officer, MEA, J. Walter Thompson.
The agency revealed that its technical evaluation was found to be 7 percentage points above its nearest rival at the final phase of the pitch. “More than an advertising agency, EgyptAir were looking for a consultancy minded operation to help elevate the airline’s performance both at home and abroad, together with outstanding brand recognition and preference,” the statement added.
The incumbent was Synergy, a Egypt-based agency. The airline has worked with multiple agencies in the past. A campaign by Al Ahram Advertising Agency was posted online in 2013, while a news report reveals Global Advertising Strategies bagging the account for North America in 2010.