China Telecom hands media account to Carat Beijing

The brief from China Telecom includes planning and buying across all media, excluding CCTV and digital. The win marks the first time Carat Beijing has worked on a telecom account.

The core objective of the pitch exercise is to help the telecoms giant compete with China Mobile and China Unicom as competition in the sector intensifies.

Jackie Kuo, GM of Carat Beijing said: "China Mobile is the leading brand in China and has the largest number of mobile users, but China Telecom has a more comprehensive service especially for home internet use."

China Telecom launched its latest campaign by Euro RSCG in November to promote cheaper calling plans. In the campaign China Telecom targets white-collar audiences and families, marking a departure from its youth-targeted commercial for its its 3G Tian Yi brand earlier this year.

“Though there is a lot of competition in the Chinese 3G market, roaming costs make mobile use expensive for those who travel for business or pleasure, and existing fee structures often mean consumers end up paying more,” said Tammy Sheu, managing director at Euro RSCG Beijing and North China, at the time.

Last July, China Telecom called an online media pitch, reportedly involving incumbent Starcom IP, Neo@Ogilvy, HYLZ and Allyes.

The country's mobile market is moving rapidly thanks to the introduction of 3G last year. China Unicom has recently been marketing aggressively to support its roll-out of the iPhone.