Ambience bags ICICI's corporate biz, brings home kids channel Nick

When the news of Ambience Publicis, Mumbai, winning ICICI's Corporate Banking Solutions came wafting to the agencyfaqs! news bureau, we knew what had to be done.

We called Subhash Kamath, COO, Ambience-Publicis for details about the ICICI deal - only to be pleasantly surprised. "Yes, we have won the mandate for ICICI's Corporate Banking Solutions. But that's not all. We have also picked up kids channel Nick (earlier called Nickelodeon) and a developmental brand from VIP Industries," informed an elated Kamath.

Kamath's happiness was perfectly understandable. All the three brands won are exciting brands, indeed. However, when urged to give an idea of the size of the total business, Kamath preferred to focus on the prestige value of the brands.

"Winning the corporate part of a big bank is certainly prestigious. ICICI is a powerful and sought after brand," says Kamath. ICICI's Corporate Banking Solutions was won in a multi-agency pitch. Lowe and Ambience had to slug it out in the final round.

What worked in Ambience's favour was the compelling combination of strategic planning and creative output. "We had spent a lot of time researching; trying to find out how the brand ICICI is perceived by consumers. That helped us capture the essence of the brand and deliver some exciting creatives," Kamath said.

Part of Kamath's enthusiasm springs from the wonderful time the agency had during the post-briefing session. "It was a happy pitch. The client and us collaborated during the ideation process. It was a true partnership. And it worked out to be a wonderful presentation. Not like a one-day international, as it happens in most of the pitches, where results have to be produced in a day's time."

The task at hand is to illustrate how ICICI can provide the entire range of corporate banking solutions - targeted at CEOs and the CFOs of corporates - which includes deployment of surplus funds, capital requirements and related functions.

But the interesting part is that the agency would be using main-line media to target the niche audience. Pushpinder Singh, national creative director, Ambience Publicis explains why. "There are no precedents of corporate banking solutions in advertising. From that point of view, this account certainly poses a challenge. Thus, opting for mass media for the putting across the message allows for a greater opportunity to create a more positive disposition for the brand as such. The communication becomes the image driver for the brand ICICI, while it interacts with the CEO and CFO." Besides mass media, the media plan will include below-the-line as well.

Another account, the agency is mightily happy about, is Nick, which was also won in a multi-agency pitch. However, the names of the agencies in the fray could not be ascertained.

"We are very passionate about children. They are such interesting human beings, very volatile in nature. Since the brief is to rejuvenate the presence of the channel in the country, it would require us to engage into finding insights into the behavioral pattern of the children. This is certainly going to be a very interesting assignment," Singh said.

The approach to the execution of the communication is going to be 360 degrees, with a greater emphasis on below-the-line.

As for the developmental brand from the VIP industries, getting more details on the assignment proved to be an uphill task. The only words that were issued forth was that the agency was doing work on a premium brand.

© 2004 agencyfaqs!