Neha Kalra
Advertising

VIP Bags scouts for new partner

The account size is estimated to be Rs 20-25 crore

Reliable sources confirm to afaqs! that VIP Bags, the renowned luggage and travel gear brand, has invited agencies to pitch for its creative duties. The account size is estimated to be in the region of Rs 20-25 crore.

It is also learnt that the pitch has been called for the entire range of brands under the VIP umbrella, including Coupe, Nuovo and Aristrocrat. Senior officials at VIP could not be contacted at the time of filing this report.

As part of the brief circulated amongst the agencies, VIP is believed to be considering a turnaround in the positioning of the brand. The agencies were briefed last week and the pitch process will be flagged off next month.

VIP Bags scouts for new partner
Lowe is the incumbent agency on the account. Informed sources claim that five agencies are pitching for the business, including Leo Burnett, McCann Erickson, Saatchi & Saatchi and BBH. Lowe is not a part of the pitching process.

Lowe has been VIP's agency for quite some time. Earlier, Leo Burnett has handled the creative duties for Alpha, one of the brands under the VIP umbrella. It won the account four years ago after pitching for the entire range. Two years ago, the product was discontinued, and so was its advertising – as a result of which Leo Burnett went off VIP's roster.

In 2008, VIP brought on young sensation, actor Shahid Kapur, as its brand ambassador and released two commercials – one each for brands Coupe and Nuovo.

With its Kal Bhi Aaj Bhi films screening for years, the brand was mostly targeted at the older age groups – which got the brand tagged as a mature one. With the Bye Bye, Happy Journey pieces of communication, it began taking a look at the younger target audience.

Since the Happy Journey commercials, the brand was not advertised for a considerable period of time, which it sought to rectify with Kapur's presence.

VIP also operates in the UK through Carlton Travel Goods Limited. Carlton is a fully owned subsidiary of VIP Industries, which the latter acquired in April 2004 to make an entry into the European markets.

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