Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India calls for a pitch

Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI), Honda’s wholly owned subsidiary in India, has called for an agency pitch. The agencies in the fray include Triton Communications, Contract Advertising and, of course, incumbent Dentsu Marcom.

Though Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India executives declined to disclose the size of the business, they assured that it was, indeed, substantial.

The agencies are expected to present this week. Company executives say that a decision on the agency should take place within a week's time of the presentation.

The brands under review are Honda Activa and Honda Dio, the auto geared scooter, Honda Eterno 4-Stroke geared scooter and Honda Unicorn, the 150cc motorcycle that offers a mono-shock suspension. Besides these, the corporate part of the business is also under scrutiny.

Ironically, Honda Motors (Honda cars and HMSI) was Dentsu Marcom Delhi's first account. Company executives categorically stated that the pitch only related to HMSI and not the larger automobile business. What's also interesting is that the HMSI business had moved to Dentsu Marcom from Triton Communications – the contender in the current pitch – in late 2003.

Explaining why HMSI has decided to call for a review, Munish Bajaj, head, marketing, HMSI says, “The reason for the pitch is dictated by our business objectives. We are in an expansion mode and are thus exploring new possibilities. Therefore, we have decided to review the business.”

Bajaj added that the best performer will take the business home. He, however, did not rule out the possibility of splitting the business between the contenders.

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