By Abhishek Chanda
Advertising

Capital grabs Apollo Tyres business

Post a multi-agency pitch, the agency has been appointed for part of the brand’s duties

Apollo Tyres has appointed Capital as its creative partner for the passenger vehicles business, which includes the entire range of car tyres. The win comes after a multi-agency pitch. However, the names of the agencies that had participated, or the present spends on the business, couldn’t be ascertained at the time of filing this report.

Confirming the win, Sunil Sachdeva, director, Capital Advertising, says, “It’s really exciting for us to have won the account. Given the fact that the brand has gone global and has very ambitious plans for the road ahead, it is the right time for us to partner them.”

Capital grabs Apollo Tyres business
For Sachdeva, it’s a kind of homecoming, as he reveals that the agency has worked on the brand in the past -- it was involved in the launch of Apollo’s two-wheeler tyres almost a decade ago.

Back in August 2007, Apollo ended its three-year association with JWT. In 2004, JWT had scooped the business, valued at Rs 20 crore then, out of Everest Brand Solutions, which used to handle the entire portfolio for the brand. Prior to Everest, Publicis was the creative custodian for the brand.

Capital grabs Apollo Tyres business
Presently, the commercial tyres business vertical of the brand continues to be handled by M&C Saatchi, which won the account in 2007.

The media duties for the brand continue to be handled by MindShare, which had scooped the account in 2004, out of The Media Edge (TME).

Early this year, Apollo went in for an image makeover and adopted a corporate identity after a period of 35 years. The change was initiated to capture the evolution of Apollo Tyres, from being predominantly a tyre maker for commercial vehicles to a leader across diverse customer segments.

Also, the brand then had its eye on the European market, for which it needed a refurbished look. Last month, Apollo Tyres acquired a 100 per cent stake in the premium European tyre manufacturer, Vredestein Banden BV (VBBV), based out of the Netherlands.

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