Carat retain Philips business globally

In India, Philips is a Rs 50 crore account for Carat. Globally, the creative duties are handled by DDB, and in India, by Mudra DDB

As a result of a global pitch, Carat (part of the Aegis Media network) has managed to retain the Royal Philips Electronics media planning and buying business globally. Philips conducts periodic reviews (once every three or four years), and this is the third consecutive time that Carat has managed to retain the business globally, following the review process.

In India, Philips is a Rs 50 crore account for Carat. There has been no change on the creative front; DDB continues to handle the brand globally, so, Mudra DDB will continue to work on it in India.

Globally, Philips is a US$ 600 million account for Carat. The re-appointment builds on a 12-year partnership between the agency and the client. In this time, Carat and Philips have together initiated a number of local and global firsts, including Philips’ exclusive US takeover of ‘CBS 60 Minutes’; global digital partnerships with Yahoo! and MSN to showcase Ambilight TV through revolutionary Ambilight content players; and locally executed experiential marketing such as the Wake-up Light experience in France and the Living Colours experience in Holland.

Andrea Ragnetti, chief marketing officer, Royal Philips Electronics, says that the review has proved that Carat has committed itself to building further on its creative strength and unleashing significant new potential to help Philips express its brand promise, ‘Sense and Simplicity’, in new ways. “This outcome is also a reinforcement of our company vision towards becoming market driven. With Carat, we have found a unified sense of direction around what we are striving to achieve through our consumer and customer-centric orientation in the new media environment,” he adds.

Mainardo de Nardis, chief executive, Aegis Media, comments, “Philips is an innovative, marketing-savvy, forward-thinking brand, so we look forward to meeting the marketing challenges ahead with our expertise across media, digital and communications planning.”

All Royal Philips Electronics products will fall into Carat’s kitty once again, including the lighting equipment, medical systems, electronics and mobile phones.

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