TAIPEI - Leo Burnett (LB) Taiwan took over digital creative and media planning and buying for Coca-Cola and Coke Zero in January, without a pitch.

LB replaced Index as Coca-Cola's digital agency in Taiwan for CRM and digital activities, while McCann Worldgroup and Starcom remain as the Taiwan creative and media agencies, respectively.

Margaret Huang, managing director of LB Taiwan, said that the arrangement represents a trend for digital accounts: Clients want a single agency to handle digital accounts from creative through media planning, instead of separating the activities.

Huang added that LB Taiwan's main task will be to help with Coca-Cola's aim to enhance interaction and engagement with its target consumers, mainly teenagers, who are spending more time on social media.

Huang boasted that Leo Burnett’s creative reputation in Taiwan helped the agency win the digital and media account after several rounds of conversation with the client. LB Taiwan's portfolio includes McDonald’s, Diageo’s Johnnie Walker, Taiwan Mobile, Chunghwa Motor Group, and Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store, she said.

Previously, LB worked on Coca-Cola’s Nestea creative account in Taiwan for two years in early 2000, when the beverage giant had a business partnership with well-known Taiwanese tea company Ten Ren Group.

Over in China, last December, Leo Burnett Shanghai has revisited its hugely successful First Coke of the Year campaign for Chinese New Year 2012, with the new promotion featuring glimpses from athlete Liu Xiang’s childhood. Luxury Box, a Shanghai-based branding and interactive agency under McCann Worldgroup, has been named digital agency for Coca-Cola's bottled water brand in China, Ice Dew.

Meanwhile in Hong Kong, McCann Worldgroup Hong Kong the winner of both the 2011 Grand Kam Fan and Media Kam Fan awards was Coca-Cola's "Chok! Chok! Chok!" campaign.

According to a news article in the March 2011 Economic Times, Coca-Cola India overlooked its long-term advertising agency McCann Erickson to make Leo Burnett the creative agency for its music property Coke Studio India, in line with an increasing trend among big brands to work with multiple agencies.