Scoot gets on board with BLK J as new creative agency

Scoot has appointed BLK J to manage its creative duties, effective 1 January 2018, for a period of 27 months with the option to extend. The appointment follows a closed door pitch called in September this year, which saw BBDO and Tribal DDB entering the final round of shortlist.BLK J, a one-year old independent agency, was chosen based in the strength of its creative idea for the Scoot brand and adaptation for Scoot’s key markets. The agency also went beyond the brief and proposed ideas for the brand’s long-term growth, according to the press statement.A week before the final presentation, Scoot assigned a surprise social media challenge on the agencies. This was in a bid to test the agency's adaptability and ability to work under tight deadlines, as well as served as a chemistry test for the agency team servicing Scoot on a day-to-day basis.The initial shortlist included around seven agencies, including BBH, BBDO, BLK J, GOVT, Tribal DDB, WE Communications and Edelman, and 20 agencies were selected for the RFI round. In an earlier conversation with Marketing, a Scoot spokesperson explained that efforts were made to know each agency through coffee sessions first. Meanwhile, Publicis terminated its contract with Scoot days after it called for a pitch.Scoot saw the need to seek fresh creative strategies and ideas for the brand, following the growth of its network into 62 destinations across 16 countries after the merger with Tigerair Singapore earlier this year.The RFP consisted of two parts – brand marketing and social media marketing. According to a brief seen by Marketing, the agencies are tasked with creating a top line 12-month communication strategy which will better place Scoot in terms of consumer consideration.“In conceptualising the pitch process, we endeavoured to keep it fun and authentic, and have the agencies experience not only the Scootitude that we are known for, but also what it was like to work with the Scoot team on a daily basis," Scoot VP marketing, Jacqueline Loh, said."To avoid wasting the agencies’ time and resources, we were careful to invite only those with whom we felt aligned in terms of aspirations and values to submit an actual pitch. We are happy to declare BLK J as our creative agency of record and can’t wait to work with them to take the Scoot brand and business forward as we continue to expand our global network," Loh added.“We are thrilled beyond words to be partnering one of Asia’s fastest growing brands. These three months have helped us gain an understanding of and respect for the brand and the Scoot team. Like the BLK J team, all they want to create is great work that shifts the market. We look forward to a long and rewarding partnership with Scoot," CEO and co-founder of BLK J, Rowena Bhagchandani, said.