Leo Burnett has won the integrated creative account for Qatari telco Qtel.
The win brings to a conclusion one of the biggest pitches of the past 12 months, with the account covering both the company’s corporate and consumer services. The incumbent on the account was Impact BBDO.
Leo Burnett Doha will provide communication management, strategic brand planning, creative development, 360° implementation and digital capabilities for Qtel. Leo Burnett Jordan, chosen as a strategic partner for Qtel International in May 2010, provides communication services for Qtel International, which works to coordinate operations across the Qtel Group. The decision follows the appointment in May of UM to handle Qtel’s domestic media planning and buying account.
Kamal Dimachkie, regional managing director, Leo Burnett UAE, Kuwait & Lower Gulf, said: “Qtel has built a very solid and successful brand, and we are delighted to have the opportunity to help shape its future. This win is indicative of Leo Burnett’s ability to understand and provide solutions to serious telco operators who are keen for a communications group to help them engage with people. We are eager to put our experience, learning and tools at their disposal to give them a competitive advantage wherever they may need us.”
The drawn-out review, which had involved most of the major networks, had been called in order for Qtel to find an agency that could support its goal to be the preferred provider of world-class communication services in Qatar.
Adel Al Mutawa, executive director, group communications at Qtel, said: “Qtel is constantly looking to raise the bar and deliver a higher level of excellence in all our activities, and we particularly wanted to move into a broader, more ambitious era for our advertising. Leo Burnett’s experience and reputation for out-of-the-box thinking will help contribute to Qtel’s wider goal of providing unique human experiences every time a customer uses our services.”
The long-running advertising pitch for Qatar Virgin Mobile Service (QVMS), which was run by Qtel, came to an abrupt end last month when the country’s telco regulator shut the mobile telco’s operations.
