Saatchi & Saatchi to take over Coca-Cola's Minute Maid Pulpy from BBH

Ogilvy and McCann were also involved in the pitch, which took place two weeks ago. 

Stephen Drummond, senior director for integrated marketing and communications for Coca-Cola China said that Saatchi & Saatchi showed it has both "the ideas and the people to be great long-term partners".

"It is fantastic to be appointed to join the Coca-Cola roster, particularly on such an amazing brand like Minute Maid Pulpy where we can partner to build the brand beyond it already being the 1st billion dollar brand created in China" said Justin Billingsley, CEO for Saatchi & Saatchi Greater China.

BBH China told Campaign that it declined to re-pitch for the Minute Maid Pulpy account, but added that the decision will not affect the rest of its partnerships with Coca-Cola, including for the brands Sprite, Ice Dew and Minute Maid Pulpy Super Milky.

“We are very proud that over the past five years, with partners past and present, we were able to contribute and help to build Minute Maid Pulpy into a billion-dollar brand for The Coca-Cola Company," said Arto Hampartsoumian, CEO of BBH China, in a statement. "We would like to wish the Minute Maid Pulpy business only the very best and are honoured to have been part of their success these past five years.”

An undisclosed 4A agency head commented that as BBH has held the account for five years, the client should know the agency's capabilities very well. "Therefore it is totally understandable that BBH would decline to re-pitch, as pitching is costly and time-consuming," the source said. "And any insiders would know that if the client wanted to call the pitch, the chance for the incumbent agency [to win] is normally very slim."

Hong Kong pop star Eason Chan is Minute Maid’s long-term celebrity ambassador, and the brand also signed on Ellen Chen from Taiwanese pop girl band S.H.E. last year.