R K Swamy wins Rs 12-crore worth of business

N. Shatrujeet

agencyfaqs!

NEW DELHI

Vigorous pitching by R K Swamy/BBDO's Delhi office has helped the agency pick up new business worth close to Rs 12 crore over the past two months. The accounts won by the agency include that of Royal Airways, Travel Corporation of India (TCI), and the Educare brand.

Abhijit Basu, vice-president, R K Swamy/BBDO, Delhi, informed agencyfaqs! that the TCI account had come to the agency just yesterday. "We had pitched for just one of TCI's businesses - XPS Cargo," informs Basu. "However, the client was so impressed with our work that they have entrusted the entire Group's business to us, which includes their e-business and logistics divisions." The advertising for XPS was previously with Arms Communications.

While Basu did not reveal the size of the TCI account, it is estimated to be worth approximately Rs 5 crore. agencyfaqs! has also gathered that TCI had invited 15 agencies for the pitch, and had finally shortlisted four - Grey, Leo Burnett, Foresight Marketing & Communications and R K Swamy. Incidentally, HTA is believed to have actively courted TCI some time in the past.

Vis-à-vis the other wins for R K Swamy, the agency won the Royal Airways account in December, following a multi-agency pitch. Unconfirmed reports have it that Triton Communications and Publicis India were in the fray for the Rs 5-crore account. Royal Airways is the new avatar of the erstwhile Modiluft. The airline is expected to take wing in May this year.

"Educare is a career and counseling magazine that is being launched shortly, and is the first brand belonging to Media TransAsia to be advertised," says Basu. "We are quite happy to have won this business." The Educare account, which is estimated at Rs 2 crore, came to R K Swamy last month.

"We have won all these businesses on the back of our strategy recommendations," Basu insists. "And, of course, the quality of our creatives has gone through a huge change, and this has reflected on the pitches. And with Pankaj (Mridhal) becoming our national creative director, the value additions from creatives is bound to go up."

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