Nirula's appoints Bates 141 as its creative agency

Nirula's has appointed Bates 141 as its creative agency after a multi-agency pitch. The names of the other agencies in fray could not be ascertained. However, the incumbent agency on the account was K Factor.

As the creative agency, Bates 141 will be responsible for both the above-the-line and below-the line activities for the newly bagged account. Commenting on choosing Bates 141 as the creative agency on the brand, Sudipta Sengupta, senior vice-president, marketing and sales, Nirula's says, “Prior to the creative pitch for the account, we had detailed discussions with our suppliers such as Coca-Cola and other major partners as to what and how would our requirements will be best met. So accordingly we called for a pitch which had only internationally affiliated agencies. In the final analysis, Bates 141 turned out to be the agency that proposed exactly what we were looking for – creating a youthful image for the brand Nirula's without tampering or compromising on the much valued heritage of the brand.”

Sengupta was also highly impressed by work done by Bates 141 for other youthful brands such as Virgin mobile. She believes that though the other characteristics such as say edginess has never been the DNA of the brand but it has been and is very much going to be a youthful brand.

For one Nirula's, takes pride in the fact that it is a pioneer in the family style restaurant business in India. At present the Nirula's Group owns hotels and restaurants at over 60 locations- restaurants under the brandname Nirula's, casual dining restaurants called Potpourri apart from Nirula's Hotels. The brand has its presence in retail segment with formats such as Food Court Units, Fuel Station Units and Ice Cream Kiosks.

Speaking to afaqs!, Jayanto Banerjee, executive vice- president, Bates141, says, “Our understanding of the market and our ability to connect with youth is what resulted in us bagging the account. Perhaps our work for youth brands such as Virgin Mobile and Tata AIG also impressed the client and made it pick us as the agency of choice.”

The focus of the agency will be on reconnecting the brand Nirula's with youth and make it the most favoured hangout zone for the youngsters. Without revealing the size of the business, Banerjee admitted that the account is a medium sized business and the brand offers a great opportunity to work in an exciting segment (read quick service restaurant).

Elaborating on the specifics of the to be launched campaign, Banerjee, says, “At present we are engaged in detailed diagnostic research. The past year saw some management changes at the company so it is given that there is a new vision for the brand, which will be unveiled in due course of time. The emphasis will be on the expanding and strengthening the presence of the brand Nirula's nationally and internationally.”

Banerjee shares that the to be launched brand campaign for Nirula's will be a multi-city exercise and will thus necessitate greater use of media platforms such as television. Other mediums such as Internet and SMS too will be adequately utilised.