Ambience pinches Surya Salt from Everest

Of late, there's been quite a bit of action at Ambience D'Arcy, Delhi. Apart from beefing up the top management (ex-Everest man C.N. Ravi Kumar has joined the agency as vice-president, while Geeta Sundaram has moved from RK Swamy/BBDO as creative director), the agency has added the Rs-2 crore Surya Salt account to its portfolio. The business was previously with Everest Integrated Communications, Delhi.

Apparently, the movement was not preceded by a formal review, and Ambience won the account on the back of a creative presentation it made to the client, Saboo Salt. When contacted, Arvind Hoon, deputy general manager, Ambience D'Arcy, told agencyfaqs! that he supposed that as there wasn't much work happening on Surya at Everest, and as the client was keen on giving the brand a creative thrust, the account is likely to have come Ambience's way. "We just struck the right chord by making a creative presentation," he said.

For Ambience, of course, it would take more than a creative presentation to make winner out of Surya. As Hoon himself admits, "Understandably, currently the brand has low recall in the metros. However, in regions of West Bengal, Bihar and Rajasthan - the East-West belt, that is - the brand is quite popular. Now, the plan of action is to strengthen the brand in the metros."

Fighting established players such as Tata and Hindustan Lever (Annapurna) with a Rs-2 crore budget is a mammoth task, and Hoon knows it. Which is why he is banking on the brand's unique differentiator - sweet water salt - to impact the consumer. "Both Tata Salt and Annapurna are processed from the sea, which is polluted with contaminants and fish debris," Hoon explains. "Whereas, Surya Salt is procured from the Sambhar lake (in Rajasthan). This lake, for the better part of the year, is dry, and the salt is extracted from the underground table. So the salt is free from contaminants. Hence, sweet water salt. The communication strategy is to play up this differentiator in an out-and-out creative way."

Hoon also believes right media planning is another factor that will help the brand cut through the clutter. Currently, the emphasis is only on television, and the agency has already shot a 20-second commercial, which will be on air in the first week of June. "We are targeting brand-conscious consumers who are very particular about the hygiene of their food. Keeping this in mind, we are looking at all key channels including Doordarshan. Our target consumers also comprise retailers, therefore airing the commercial, for example, on Aaj Tak, will contribute to brand awareness, and also build the necessary pressure to make the retailers stock the brand. Moreover, the product is priced at an affordable Rs 7 per kg." Among other things, the agency also has plans of sprucing up the packaging of the product.

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