Mandai Wildlife Group calls social pitch

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UPDATE: MARKETING-INTERACTIVE initially reported that the pitch to be a creative and social pitch. It has since come to light that the pitch will not involve creative and will only be for social and TSLA will continue to be the agency handling creative duties for the brand. A spokesperson clarified that while the tender pitch initially included the term "creative and social", the work was only in reference to social duties.

Mandai Wildlife Group, formerly known as Wildlife Reserves Singapore, is on the hunt for a social media agency. According to SESAMi, the appointment will be for a period of a year, from July 2022, with the option to extend for another. KRDS Singapore has been the incumbent since January 2017.

According to the tender, the appointed agency should be well versed in the digital landscape, and capable of developing a strong social media strategy to meet the needs and objectives of Mandai Wildlife Group. The tender will close on 21 April.

The Group currently works with The Secret Little Agency and Spark Foundry for creative and media duties respectively. The agencies will not be impacted during the pitch.

Currently, KRDS' duties include managing the social media needs for all four parks under Mandai Wildlife Group, and providing expanded services, including digital, social media strategy and consultancy, media management and analytics, according to a statement by the agency in 2020. The agency is also tasked with creating a storytelling strategy to bring meaningful and memorable experiences online, with a focus on protecting biodiversity, to grow Mandai Wildlife Group's online community.

This strategy is supported by branded and user-generated content which seeks to reinforce the experience that awaits for the community, and the memories shared by in-park visitors. Additionally, during the pandemic, the agency was involved in generating excitement for in-park campaigns to the community, creating an extensive marketing funnel to create awareness, building engagement and driving conversion from online to offline, for both locals and tourists from around the world.

Md Hidayat M A, KRDS Singapore's client services director, told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that it has enjoyed being the retainer social media agency for Mandai Wildlife Reserve since 2016. "We’re excited for the challenge of defending the account in the tender process as we have done consistently the past," he added.

Separately, last October, Wildlife Reserves Singapore rebranded to Mandai Wildlife Group to encompass both the zoological park operations and the ongoing rejuvenation work at the Mandai precinct. The newly integrated destination, Mandai Wildlife Group, will house all of Singapore's wildlife parks along with a visual refresh for the parks. Along with the group's new corporate identity, a new "Masterbrand Mandai", which embodies the passion and commitment for a thriving, biodiverse planet, was also unveiled. The new brand world is inspired by nature and the animals under its care, which continue to spark a sense of wonder amongst guests.

Most recently, Mandai Wildlife Group appointed Jean Choi as its chief sales and marketing officer. Choi was most recently VP, sales and experience development for the Group where she led experience development, international sales, corporate sales, partnership, business development, event sales and experience reservations, according to her LinkedIn. She succeeds Irene Lin who left to join Marina Bay Sands as SVP and CMO, resort marketing. Lin joined Mandai Wildlife Group in 2020 from Shangri-La Group. During her time as Group CMO at Mandai Wildlife Group, Lin led the design, planning, and implementation of all marketing and membership activities, as well as the tracking, measurement, and optimisation of outcomes for the company, her LinkedIn stated.