Tribal DDB to set up shop in India

Tribal DDB Worldwide, recognised among the top international digital marketing agencies, is setting up offices in India. Matt Freeman, president - Tribal DDB Worldwide, is going to be in Mumbai this week for the launch.

Apparently, the understanding between Mudra Communications and Tribal DDB is on the lines that Mudra will invest in resources to set up Tribal DDB. In return, the Indian operations will have access to Tribal DDB’s tool kit, creative workshops, research, case studies, training programmes and most importantly, the agency's global clients.

Tribal DDB, which is an independent division of DDB Worldwide, offers digital services that range from online marketing, media buying to planning and strategic direction, through to web design and programming. Tribal DDB in India should be operational by the first week of March.

At this stage, Tribal DDB has no plans of acquiring a stake in the Indian operations. However, senior Mudra executives have indicated that if a proposal of this nature is made, it will be “keenly considered”.

With the launch of Tribal DDB, Mudra's digital solutions arm, Digital Branding Solutions, which has been in operation for a year now, will become a part of Tribal DDB India. However, the name DBS will be retained and will continue to serve its existing clients. The new clients that come on board will be serviced by the Tribal DDB India team.

The setting up of Tribal DDB India is a step towards fortifying the non-traditional communication offerings from Mudra. In fact, Madhukar Kamath, managing director & CEO, Mudra Communications, at the launch of Rapp Collins, had mentioned that the purpose behind aggregating these multidisciplinary assets was to strengthen Mudra’s below-the-line services.

Now with Tribal DDB, Mudra has direct marketing and customer management company, Rapp Collins; promotional marketing services, Kidstuff Promos and Events Company; pharmaceutical unit, Brand Therapist; and Digital Branding Solutions (DBS) in its kitty.

Mudra is, indeed, very serious about the below-the-line (BTL) functions. Given the fast changing media landscape, BTL serves as an effective means of reaching the consumer directly.

Lakshmi Narayanan, executive member on the board of Mudra Communications and head of Total Branding Solutions (Mudra’s complete BTL bouquet), is confident that over the next three years, non-traditional media will be as big as Mudra's current billings of Rs 1,000 crore.

Tribal DDB is going to have offices in all the cities where Mudra Communications is present. These include Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Ahmedabad. C Venkatesh Sharma, presently the general manager of DBS, will double up as the head of the 30-odd people team of Tribal DDB India.

© 2005 agencyfaqs!