"The decision to award Carat the global consolidation business is the result of a thorough pitch process which began in February, and ended with a very closely run contest between Carat and OMD (who manage Reebok’s European media)."Ms. Domingo said.

"In Asia Pacific, Carat has worked closely with adidas since 2002. Carat’s partnership with adidas has culminated in some of the most innovative and engaging work in the lead up to the 2006 World Cup and this momentum is sure to continue as the Beijing Olympics will be a defining moment in sports marketing. "Thomas Wong, CEO Carat Asia North added.

Uli Becker, Head of Global Brand Marketing at adidas said. "We were fortunate to have had two very qualified agency finalists, Carat and OMD, who continued to raise the bar every time we met with them. This was a tremendously difficult decision for all the keys stakeholders from the Group because of the high caliber of the agencies’ teams. We chose Carat for their strong strategic vision and their commitment to our business. We are confident that Carat will extend our successful partnership to deliver growth of the adidas and Reebok brands through the World Cup to the Beijing Olympics and beyond."

David Verklin, Chief Executive Officer, Carat Americas and Chairman, Carat Asia Pacific said, "this was a genuine team effort. The dedication and talent of all the people involved in the pitch around the world was outstanding. What also clearly helped us was the excellent performance on adidas from all of our markets over the last 2 years."

"At the end of the day, adidas/Reebok saw Carat and Isobar as the agencies with the clearest vision of the future," Jocelyn Domingo added.