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IPG awarded Jet Airways, JetLite business

In India, this business will be handled by Altitude, a newly formed Indian entity under the McCann Worldgroup banner. Both the brands combined spell billings of Rs 100 crore for IPG, according to sources

The Interpublic Group (IPG) has been awarded the Jet Airways and JetLite global advertising contract following a pitch that took place in Mumbai. In India this business will be handled by a new Indian entity, Altitude, established by IPG for the region to lead the business in India. The network will also be in charge of the international market needs of the brand. In India, Altitude will operate as a special arm within the McCann Worldgroup.

As is known, a few months ago Jet Airways and JetLite had been put up for a review. While the Jet Airways account is estimated to be worth Rs 80 crore or thereabouts, JetLite is worth around Rs 18-20 crore.

Commenting on the IPG appointment, Sudheer Raghavan, chief commercial officer, Jet Airways, says, “Our Board was impressed with the quality of the strategy and ideas presented to demonstrate how our brand can be conceptualised and positioned.”

Michael Roth, worldwide CEO, IPG, says in an official communiqué, “We look forward to partnering with a stellar Indian brand with global aspirations such as Jet Airways. This is an exciting time in their development. We believe Jet Airways is poised to become one of the fastest growing premium international airlines, emulating the success they have already had in their domestic market.”

According to sources in the know, the incumbent on the business, M&C Saatchi, has been retained by Jet for special project-related work. M&C Saatchi had won the business 18 months earlier, after the parting of Network Advertising and Jet Airways.

For the record, Jet Airways has 385 flights operated daily, with its network spanning 43 destinations across India and its international network includes New York (both JFK and Newark) Toronto, Brussels, London (Heathrow), Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Colombo, Bangkok, Kathmandu, Dhaka, Kuwait, Bahrain, Muscat, Doha and Abu Dhabi, Shanghai and San Francisco. Forty per cent of Jet's revenue in 2007-08 came from its international operations.

Starcom handles the media duties for Jet Airways and JetLite.

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