Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand has been appointed as Tourism Fiji’s global brand agency.
Tourism Fiji confirmed to StopPress that Colenso BBDO NZ was the incumbent agency, and they were not involved in the final stage of selection process.
Saatchi & Saatchi will lead the creation of a revitalised brand platform and global campaign to attract visitors to the Pacific nation.
The agency will work with its network and Publicis Groupe partners to deliver a brand experience across multiple locations.
StopPress understands three Australian agencies competed unsuccessfully in the final stage against Saatchi & Saatchi.
Managing director of Saatchi & Saatchi Paul Wilson, says the agency feels fortunate to be working with Tourism Fiji, “showcasing this jewel of the Pacific to a global audience”.
He adds the pitch process itself was run “really well”.
“It was a good experience for us throughout. The selection process began mid-year and concluded at the end of 2017. It’s a fairly standard timeframe for a pitch of this scale and with a global remit covering multiple markets.”
He said the agency has got some really interesting and innovative ideas in the pipeline and is looking forward to developing these further with the team at Tourism Fiji.
Matt Stoeckel, chief executive at Tourism Fiji, says the standard of pitching from all agencies across the board was very high, but Saatchi & Saatchi quickly showed it really understood the destination and the company’s vision for the future.
“We were looking for a long-term partner who would challenge us and we think we’ve found that in Saatchis.”