Y&R Group Indonesia wins Gudang Garam Surya
Y&R Group Indonesia, comprising Y&R and The Campaign Palace, has been awarded the lucrative Surya brand business by tobacco giant Gudang Garam, effective immediately.
Following one of the country’s biggest pitches this year, Y&R Group Indonesia has been appointed as agency of record on Surya, the backbone brand of PT. Gudang Garam Tbk, Indonesia’s second largest cigarette company.
The largest brand within the full-flavoured machine-made kretek category, Surya comprising both Surya 16 and Surya 12, also represents the second largest brand in the country’s entire cigarette market. Indonesia is the fourth biggest tobacco market in the world with a volume of 247 billion sticks sold per year.
Y&R Group Indonesia triumphed in a pitch against four other agencies including incumbent Publicis Indonesia, Dentsu Strat, Phoenix Bangkok and local agency Chosen.
“We are confident that Y&R undoubtedly will play an important role in supporting us to further build Surya to new and higher levels of achievements,” said Ginawati Wibowo, Marketing Director, PT. Gudang Garam Tbk.
Added Andrew Dowling, CEO Y&R Group Indonesia, “It is not often that an agency has the opportunity to re-position a brand as big as Surya. We are humbled to be selected as Gudang Garam’s agency partner, and excited to help lead the Surya brand to greater heights.”
5 Comments
Headline should read” Y&R helps kill thousands through tobacco advertising”. Campaign Brief should boycott such Press Releases. It’s appalling in this day and age that the promotion of tobacco is still allowed. This is how the PR should have been written:
Y&R Group Indonesia, comprising Y&R and The Campaign Palace, has been awarded the lucrative Surya brand business by giant murderers Gudang Garam, effective immediately.
Following one of the country’s biggest pitches on how to kill as many Indonesians as possible this year, Y&R Group Indonesia has been appointed as agency of record on Surya, the backbone brand of PT. Gudang Garam Tbk, Indonesia’s second largest cigarette company responsible for the 60% of cancer deaths in Indonesia.
The largest brand within the full-flavoured machine-made kretek category, Surya comprising both Surya 16 and Surya 12, also represents the second largest brand in the country’s entire cigarette market. Indonesia is the fourth biggest tobacco market in the world with a volume of 247 billion sticks sold per year with the highest death by lung cancer rates in South East Asia.
Y&R Group Indonesia triumphed in a pitch against four other agencies specialising in killing people, including incumbent Publicis Indonesia, Dentsu Strat, Phoenix Bangkok and local agency Chosen.
I doubt that a blog such as CB can be asked to take a stand, one way or another, on such a complex issue as tobacco promotion’s rights and wrongs. They are only reporting new business wins / losses to an ad community.
While the sense of outrage is justified, getting the promotion of tobacco to be banned in Indonesia requires a deeper approach. The promotion of alcohol, also a potential source of social problems, would mean that no account win / loss for a beer brand could be reported here.
Save the bullets for the source, not the messenger.
And no press release would be complete without this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_te6dLVeqa8
I wonder just how much will David (read my blog) Sable PR this on their corporate website?
Will his ‘principle’s before profit’ pontifications make him reject this business win?
Not exactly something they be proud to submit to AdAge in PC US of A, I’d imagine.
Anyways, well done Andrew…your bonus check is in the mail.
No more pro bono Smoking Kills ads from this network