Hakuhodo drives away with Wagon R

India's top automaker Maruti Suzuki is in the midst of a swirl, it seems. Close on the heels of O&M driving away with Baleno, Hakuhodo Percept has won the Wagon R mandate. The incumbent agency was Contract.

Mayank Pareek, general manager - marketing, Maruti, has confirmed the development.

Contract and its newly appointed CEO Jagdip Bakshi won't like it for sure, but Maruti sources described the movement as “routine”. “This is being done to encourage innovative thinking among the club agencies”, a senior executive said.

Contract, of course, continues to handle Grand Vitara.

As a result of Wagon R's movement, the current configuration of brands at Maruti stands in this order: Lowe has Alto, Esteem, Omni and Versa; Hakuhodo Percept handles Maruti 800, Wagon R and Zen, Contract services Grand Vitara, Capital has Swift and Maruti's corporate account, while O&M is the proud owner of Baleno.

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