Campaign India Agency Report Card: JWT

Type of agency: Advertising
Company ownership: WPP
Key personnel:Colvyn Harris,CEO, Dhunji Wadia, Rohit Ohri, managing partners, Tista Sen, SVP and ECD
Accounts won: Airtel DTH, Birla Sun Life Insurance, Birla Sun Life Mutual Funds and Kingfisher Airlines
Accounts lost: GoaFest ’08, SAB TV, GE Money Wizard, SBI Mutual Funds, Apollo Tyres

It seems that the Santa gave JWT India a Midas touch as  Christmas gift last year. Almost everything it touched turned into Gold.  Literally.
An agency not known for its creative prowess traditionally brought home metals that have hitherto remained elusive to Indian advertising. The Times of India’s Lead India campaign bagged various metals including a Grand Prix, Integrated/ Titanium Lion, and  Design Gold Lion at Cannes resulting in India ranking No. 2 at Cannes.             
JWT India acquired live activation company Encompass  and increased geographical presence through a partnership with Mindset in Hyderabad.  Plus a tie-up with ADK for Japanese businesses.  It also added to its design capabilities via Honk.
While specialist divisions – RMG Connect and IPAN continued to show robust growth through the year, the agency won 76 new businesses including heavy duty Airtel DTH that saw a star-studded launch campaign. The agency saw some reshuffling in its creative team. Tista Sen was elevated to senior VP and ECD and Shamik Sengupta was transferred as head of creative Kolkata.
In terms of its portfolio this year, agency launched the Airtel DTH, The Times of India Chennai, The Times of India’s Teach India initiative and PepsiCo’s Tropicana Twister.  It rebranded Pizza Hut and bagged deep-pocketed clients like Airtel DTH, Birla Sun Life Insurance, Birla Sun Life Mutual Funds and Kingfisher Airlines. If there is one thing that spoilt JWT’s dream run, it would be the national creative director, Agnello Dias, calling it quits.  Had he stayed back, we may have been tempted to give this WPP-agency a perfect 10.
Campaign Score: 9

How JWT rates itself: 9
JWT India is one of the fastest growing, best performing agency offices in India,  Asia and globally.    The agency has exceeded its business plans and financial performance year on year . This is of particular importance given JWT India’s large revenue base   and even more significant given the current global meltdown. The JWT India client list is a veritable’ Who’s Who’ of over 200 client/brand relationships. Most of these are either Number 1 or 2 in their categories with a market share of over 40%. In the last year the agency conducted almost 2,500 man days of staff retention and training initiatives with programs that are unique and distinctive.