Ad agencies will no doubt be watching closely to see if the change in leadership at Qantas sparks a review of the marketing and advertising companies it works with, including its ties to Singleton Ogilvy & Mather.

Qantas’s chief executive, Geoff Dixon, will hand over to his successor next week, Jetstar’s chief, Alan Joyce, a move that is said to trigger a shake-up in its list of agencies within the first quarter of next year.

Dixon and STW‘s founder, John Singleton, have worked together for almost two decades and were instrumental in shaping the Qantas brand with campaigns such as ‘I Still Call Australia Home’.

SOM’s dominance with Qantas, however, has been challenged by other agencies – Publicis Mojo will take over the account for Qantas Holidays, which is to be merged with Jetset to form Jetset Travelworld.

Mojo, which was given the account without a pitch, also handles Qantas’s call centres and its master media account through ZenithOptimedia.

A domestic campaign for the Beijing Olympics was handed to M&C Saatchi, which also creates advertising for the Qantas brand internationally and handles advertising for the frequent flyer program.

Qantas’s agencies could also face competition from Ted Horton‘s agency, Big Red Communications, which has handled Jetstar’s advertising since its launch.