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Media

Bharti Airtel calls for media review

Madison Media and GroupM have been the above the line advertising and outdoor media partners for the telecom major

Telecom major Bharti Airtel has opened the floor for a media pitch. The development was confirmed to afaqs! by Shireesh Joshi, director, marketing, Bharti Airtel.

Airtel, which currently sets aside almost Rs 950 crore (as per Spatial Access estimates) for its advertising purposes, has Madison Media as its media agency for above the line (ATL) media planning and buying. GroupM has been its partner for the outdoor medium.

Bharti Airtel calls for media review
Both agencies have been around for quite some time. Why a pitch, suddenly?

"There is no specific reason as such for the pitch and nor is it part of any routine. It's simply a re-evaluation of our partnerships with the existing agencies," says Joshi.

The pitch process was initiated very recently. Usually, the company holds two separate pitches for its mainline ATL advertising and its outdoor businesses. However, this time around, it is a unified process.

Rediffusion Y&R has been the creative agency for the brand for decades. It has helped the brand gain ground as an emotional one with the kind of communication that has generally created an emotional connect.

Bharti Airtel Limited is a leading integrated telecom services provider with operations in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The company is structured into four strategic business units - Mobile, Telemedia, Enterprise and Digital TV.

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