Vibo Telecom chooses BBDO Taiwan as creative AOR

According to sources close to the pitch, McCann Erickson and a local agency Regal Advertising also took part in the pitch. Media Palette is the client’s current media agency, while Bates Asia was the incumbent creative agency.

Vibo Advertising is a local telecom company which entered the competitive telecom market in Taiwan seven years ago, offering a strong focus on 3G capabilities. A latecomer to the local market, it competes against bigger players including Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Mobile Corporation and FarEasTone Telecom.

Advertising for the telecom players in Taiwan is focused mostly on pricing and promotions. "Our brief is to strengthen Vibo Telecom’s image as a ‘sincere’ brand and enhance the brand preference among consumers with promotions of better combo-package deals," a spokesperson for BBDO Taiwan said.

“One of the key challenges for Vibo Telecom is that they are seen as a telecom service provider but without a distinct brand image,” he added. “Their upcoming ad campaigns will not be celebrity endorsements, but will focus on brand building and maximising the trustworthiness of the brand.”

According to the Taipei Times in November,  Vibo CEO George Chou, a former executive of Taiwan Mobile Corporation, was hired in March to overhaul the company. He said that Vibo planned to increase the number of high-speed 3.75G base stations to 6,000 by the end of January to boost data transmission.

He added that to boost its customer numbers, Vibo planned to buy at least 400,000 mobile phones next year, with smartphones making up 70 per cent of the number. Samsung Electronics and HTC would continue to be the major suppliers of Vibo, he confirmed.

BBDO Taiwan has also won Sakura CTP kitchenware and Taishin Bank's creative accounts this year.