AB InBev calls digital and social pitch in China

The pitch is at the request-for-information stage. The brand has briefed 10 agencies and will decide on a shortlist next week, according to sources. Final pitch presentations will take place in mid-January, and the client expects to make the decision before the Chinese New Year. R3 is running the pitch review.

According to a source close to the pitch, the client’s adspend on digital is around RMB300 million (US$49 million), with Budweiser as the biggest brand in terms of both media budget and sales volume, followed by Harbin, Sedrin, Stella Artois and some local brands.

"The China market has changed very quickly," the source said. "There are more and more pitches for social as there is more demand for specialists for social listening and monitoring."

As reported in September, AB InBev has chosen Starcom MediaVest as its media agency after a competitive pitch against incumbent MediaCom.

Update: "VML" has been added to "VML IM2.0" in the first paragraph.