Telecoms and technology firm Huawei has appointed Omnicom Media Group agency PHD to handle its media in China.
PHD will be responsible for media strategy and buying for all traditional media channels. The business will be handled by PHD’s Beijing office, with Huawei headquartered over a thousand miles away in Shenzhen.
It follows a four-way pitch against IPG Mediabrands’ UM, GroupM’s Maxus and Publicis Media’s Zenith, according to reports.
“We are thrilled to take on this new assignment with one of the best international companies to have ever originated in China,” said Aaron Wild, chief executive of PHD China.
“PHD has worked hard over the course of the past year to build on the recent success of retaining the Unilever business and winning the global VW account, and this announcement is credit to the passion and dedication of our agency team.
“This is a great way to start the new lunar year, and we are looking forward to delivering world-class media solutions with our new Huawei partners.”
PHD Asia Pacific chief executive Susana Tsui added: “We are excited to kick start the year of the Rooster with a big win in China. Huawei has been a client that we have targeted to work with for some time for its leading reputation and vision in innovation.
“Our PHD challenger brand personality perfectly fits with Huawei’s ambition in and outside of China. We look forward to doing some spectacular work together.”
It represents another win for PHD following a hugely successful 2016 for the agency, during which it topped performance rankings after picking up nearly $3bn in new business – including Volkswagen Group’s global account.
