OMD drops MTN

ADSL South Africa (Broadband South Africa), 20 March 2007

Media strategy company, OMD Media Direction South Africa, has decided to end its13-year relationship with telecoms giant MTN. OMD has voluntarily relinquished its account with MTN but failed to comment on the reason for its decision.

Is OMD the first media strategy company to voluntarily relinquish the MTN media account?

No, Nota Bene was the first media strategy company to do this based on “cultural differences.”

Managing Director of Nota Bene, Peter Vogel, commented: “Sometimes clients and agencies don’t share the same cultural fit. Some work well, others do not; this is not unusual in the media business” (Gap in media market as OMD splits up with MTN, McLachlan, Business Day, 16 March 2007).

How did MTN respond to the news?

MTN’s response to the news can be described as ‘NEUTRAL’ with a pinch of sentiment.

MTN’s Senior Manager for Public Relations and Internal Communications in South Africa, Wandile Mkhatshwa, said: “Thirteen years has run its course and there is nothing further that they have indicated aside from the fact that they will not be pitching again this year” (Gap in media market as OMD splits up with MTN, McLachlan, Business Day, 16 March 2007).

General Manager for Marketing and Corporate Affairs at MTN, Bernice Samuels, also remarked on MTN’s long relationship with OMD and the fact that MTN and OMD “enjoyed a mutually beneficial professional relationship” (Gap in media market as OMD splits up with MTN, McLachlan, Business Day, 16 March 2007).

When will MTN issue a tender for a new media buying agency?

According to MTN by the second quarter of this year. This means that a lucky agency will soon be able to fill the gap left by OMD.

ADSL South Africa (Broadband South Africa) hopes MTN finds a suitable agency to fill the gap left by OMD.