Maxis concludes integrated marketing pitch

Maxis has appointed Publicis Groupe for its integrated pitch and Leo Burnett has created a bespoke team for Maxis with talents from the Groupe, A+M understands. Publicis Groupe was one of the final four teams vying for the account, including incumbent IPG Mediabrands, Dentsu Aegis Network and Team WPP.In a statement to A+M, Tai Kam Leong, head of brand and marketing, Maxis said the partnership will comprise an ecosystem that includes strategic, creative, media, digital and technology specialists with a business and marketing outcome-focused mindset.“It was a very exhaustive and competitive pitch process with like-minded organisations as well as our incumbent partners to align with our new strategy and to equip ourselves confidently moving forward,” Tai said. He added:This review and selection is timely for the brand and marketing services industry to truly innovate with a model that we believe will foster new degrees of accountability and performance.He also thanked its current partners for the “amazing work” that it has done and welcomes the Publicis Groupe team, with whom it looks forward to working together to explore what is new, and truly push the limits on what is possible as consumer landscapes continue to evolve rapidly.The telco previously worked with IPG Mediabrand’s Ensemble Worldwide and Initiative, Publicis Groupe’s Leo Burnett, Kingdom Digital, APD and SearchGuru. A+M has reached out to Publicis Groupe for comment.Maxis first called for an integrated pitch review in February, as it aims to transform into a strong converged player in Malaysia for both fixed and mobile. Head of brand and partnerships Tai Kam Leong told A+M previously that it is excited about the possibilities and that Maxis remains open in its approach to solutions moving forward.Last month, Maxis partnered with Gamuda Land to create the country’s first Maxis-delivered 5G township for Gamuda Cove. Gamuda Land will work with Maxis to fibre up parts of Gamuda Cove with its high-speed broadband connectivity. It also jumped on board as the first Malaysian sponsor for the PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) Mobile team under Team Secret, a professional eSports pro-gaming team.Under the partnership, Maxis will work with the all-Malaysian PUBG Mobile team to develop year-long exclusive gaming content to drum up interest in eSports among Malaysian gamers and propel Malaysia towards its goal of becoming Asia’s eSports hub.(Photo courtesy: Maxis Facebook)