Guangzhou Metro calls large-scale creative pitch

ADK, Dentsu, GDAD, McCann-Erickson Guangming, Saatchi & Saatchi, and Y&R are participating in this pitch, with presentations scheduled to be made in mid November.

Guangzhou Metro previously used local creative agencies on a project-by-project basis. It’s understand that the client does its media planning and buying in-house, using its own advertising light boxes and platform TVs.

An agency source close to the pitch said that Guangzhou Metro is looking to develop rapidly over the next five years, doubling its size from currently nearly 200 kilometers of track, to over 500 kilometers. “Hence it hopes to partner with a 4A agency to upgrade its creative campaign in line with the new infrastructure development, the brief objective has a strong focus on branding strategies," the source said.

Guangzhou Metro had called a creative pitch earlier this year, but cancelled it after not enough large agencies joined.

According to Guangzhou Metro's website, the network has an average passenger capacity of 1.85 million passenger trips per day.

Lines under construction include the extension of Line 2/8, the north extension of Line 3, Line 4(Huangcun to Chebeinan section), Lines 6, GuangFo Line and a section of the Pearl-River-Delta Inter-city Track Transport and Automatic Passenger Transport System for Zhujiang New Town, which is the sub-project of the civil transportation project for the central district of Guangzhou.

McCann-Erickson Guangming is currently working on Shenzhen Metro’s creative account.