Campaign India Agency Report Card: Contract Advertising

Campaign India Team, 18 December, 2008

Mumbai

Type of agency: Advertising
Company ownership: WPP
Key personnel:  Ravi Deshpande, chairman and chief creative officer, Umesh Shrikhande, chief executive officer, Rohit Shrivastava, executive vice president, K Vivek Kamath, senior vice president, finance
Accounts won:  Tata Indicom, Whirlpool, Tata AIG, Maneesh Pharma, United Spirit, Gati, Primus Brand, Bharti Del Monte, Shell Lubricant, WWIL and
SpiceJet
Accounts lost: Maxwell Apparels

Blurring the JWT association and creating an independent identity for itself has been a journey for Contract but it’s one that they can gleefully claim has been accomplished to a large extent. Their work has been consistent and often of the kind that tugs at the heartstrings. Sample their Tata Indicom and Dominos work. The agency won the Tata Indicom business in a highly contested pitch, as also the SpiceJet business recently. The WPP agency also retained the Dominos business, after the pizza brand called for a pitch and won a gold, a silver and a bronze Lion at Cannes this year.  With the quiet and low profile Umesh Shrikhande being promoted to take charge as CEO, the transition of charge has been smooth. Having said that, the work done on Shoppers Stop has  received lukewarm reactions.
With Deshpande both chairman and head of the creative product,  one looks forward to more recognition for the creative product, both nationally and internationally. Contract, however, remains  Mumbai strong and needs to beef up the product across the country.
Campaign Score:7

How CONTRACT ADVERTISING rates itself: 8
Only one thing matters to us more than an idea. A bigger idea. We’ve been busy with our philosophy of ‘Grow Young’ to create big ideas that have begun to rejuvenate some of our biggest brands. We’ve enjoyed a steady growth rate of 22% this year. Our integrated holistic approach allows us to offer our clients ideas at all touch points, especially in new media.
Some of the ideas we have created that are indispensable to our brands are ‘Start Something New’ for Shoppers’ Stop. Dominos has turned what used to be a fairly functional time guarantee into the far more emotionally appealing ‘Khushiyon ki home delivery’. The good work continues with the integrated campaign done for Aegon Religare’s K.I.L.B.  and most recently, Tata Indicom’s ‘Suno dil ki awaaz’.Our philosophy has even rejuvenated our creative firepower. Our attitude towards doing ever better work coupled with hiring extremely high-profile creative people who can deliver it, has begun showing results at award shows, with a Gold Lion at Cannes and numerous other prestigious metals at domestic and international shows.