Marina Bay Sands selects Dentsu for media business

SINGAPORE – Marina Bay Sands is understood to have awarded its media business to Dentsu.

Marina Bay Sands' media business is valued at US$15 million
Marina Bay Sands' media business is valued at US$15 million

The business’ exact worth is unclear, although it was estimated at US$15 million when awarded to Starcom in May 2010.

The latest RFP was called mid-July 2011 and some agencies told Campaign that they would not be pitching for the business.

One network head said that MBS had approached them about working together on a project by project basis. “It made no sense for us to commit resources to business that would be intermittent,” he said.

Incumbent Starcom, upon the expiry of their contract with Marina Bay Sands, chose not to pitch for the business due to “strategic differences” according to a source. It was also confirmed that OMD had declined the pitch.

The regional account was previously handled by Mindshare Singapore which had overseen the business for a year after being appointed in February 2009.

Constant changes client-side at MBS have been criticised by creative and media agencies alike. Riad Shalaby was the latest marketing head to move on, having recently replaced Lucinda Semark who is now with Carlson.

Neither Dentsu nor Marina Bay Sands were able to comment at the present time.

Related Articles

Just Published

9 hours ago

Agency Report Card 2024: Mindshare

Mindshare faced significant setbacks in APAC in 2024, losing nearly a billion dollars in client business and falling out of Campaign's top 20 rankings, highlighting the need for strategic renewal.

11 hours ago

2025 Cannes Contenders: Dentsu APAC leaders place ...

From the grippingly serious to the hilariously eccentric, three Dentsu creative and product leaders across APAC give their nods to award-worthy work that may win a Cannes Lions next week.

12 hours ago

'Media isn’t a commodity. Treating it like one is a ...

Ruben Schreurs tells Campaign why litigation, platform volatility, and outdated media models are distorting decision-making—and why advertisers need to focus less on adjacency panic, and more on strategic clarity.

12 hours ago

WPP never seized control of its destiny under Mark ...

Departing CEO had some notable successes, but the company has struggled.