Reliance awards Zapak creative duties to Marching Ants

Industry sources estimate the size of the business to be more than Rs 5 crore. The media mix for the portal will consist of all the conventional advertising media, including television, print, outdoor, radio, web and direct mailers

Reliance Entertainment is all set to launch a gaming portal, Zapak.com. And to put the communication for this portal in place, it has hired Mumbai based Marching Ants as its creative agency.

Confirming this development to agencyfaqs!, Arun Mehra, chief marketing officer, Zapak Digital Entertainment, said that the company had started reviewing creative agencies for the business three months ago. But Mehra declined to reveal the names of the other agencies that had been reviewed.

Both Mehra and the executives at Marching Ants were reluctant to reveal the size of the business. But from what agencyfaqs! could gather from industry sources, it is estimated to be Rs 5 crore.

The media duties will be handled in-house by ADAG.

Reliance awards Zapak creative duties to Marching Ants

Shirish Handa

Shirish Handa, head of corporate business, Marching Ants, says, “The creative requirement for the website is unique – this is a first of its kind venture in India. Generally, when advertising a portal, it is perceived as nothing more than an IT product. Our approach to the portal was concentrated on treating it as an entertainment product, rather than an IT one. Our communication was centred on a 360-degree scheme, which also included some vital communication connects apart from just above-the-line advertising.”

The media mix for the portal will consist of all the conventional advertising media, including television, print, outdoor, radio, Web, direct mailers and some innovative media. The campaign is expected to hit the market soon.

For the record, Zapak.com is expected to have gaming content that will entertain both casual and hardcore gamers. The games will be spread across all age groups and are likely to go beyond current standards. The list of games will also include some of the world’s most popular and addictive international games.

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