Emirates Airlines has put up its $260 mln advertising accounts up for tender in a significant shift in its communications strategy. Campaign Middle East reports that Publicis, Omnicom, WPP and Interpublic, plus Chime Communications received the initial invitation, with the pitch process expected to commence at the end of July.

While Maurice Flanagan, executive vice chairman Emirates Airline and Group, said it was too early to talk about budgets, the announcement that one of the biggest prizes in the advertising world is up for grabs will send the select agencies invited to tender scrambling. The winning agency will take responsibility for advertising across more than 80 global markets. Emirates currently uses various agencies around the world on a market-by-market basis. That will be a significant prize in an industry suffering from declining business opportunities and dwindling margins.

Flanagan said that the size and complexity of its business made its present ad hoc system unviable. “The business has grown in size and complexity, and we have now reached a stage where we are looking to further develop the Emirates brand and brand reach to take us forward through the next five to 10 years. We are still in the very initial stages of evaluation." Flanagan said it was too early to go into details of whether it intended to replace existing agency structures, or to speak of budgets. "For existing agency partners, it is business as usual although no doubt some of them will be roped in by their holding groups to contribute to the pitch.”