McCann, Mumbai, opens UTI Bank account

It's been mixed fortunes at McCann-Erickson's Mumbai office these last two months. While on the one hand the agency had to resign the prestigious HSBC account to Lowe Lintas - the result of a mandated global realignment - it has managed picking up significant businesses to offset that loss in billing. Most recently, the agency has won the advertising account of UTI Bank, following a multi-agency pitch that is reported to have had the likes of SSC&B and Quadrant Communications in the fray. The UTI win comes in the wake of the Times FM win and more business from hygiene specialist Johnson & Johnson (J&J).

Speaking to agencyfaqs!, Charles Berley Jenarius, senior vice-president & general manager, McCann-Erickson, said, "HSBC held out for as long as possible, but eventually invited its globally-aligned agencies (Bates, Lintas and Zenith) to pitch for the business. At around the same time, we pitched for UTI Bank, and won the account." While Jenarius did not reveal the size of the UTI business, industry estimates put it at roughly Rs 6 crore.

Vis-à-vis Times FM, agencyfaqs! has gathered that the account was hotly contested, although the identity of the other agencies is not clear. "We won the Times FM account on the basis of our presentation, and on the back of the work McCann had done for Indiatimes," Jenarius revealed.

And with respect to J&J, McCann has added the wound care part of the business (including flagship brand Band-Aid) to its kitty. It may be recalled that McCann has been handling J&J's sanitary protection business (the Stayfree and Carefree brands) for over a year now. The wound care account was previously with Lowe Lintas. "The J&J win is a very good example of healthy organic growth," Jenarius pointed out. "The account was gained on the strength of the service and work rendered by us on Stayfree and Carefree, and the strong association that McCann-Erickson shares with J&J Worldwide since 1920." And although he declined to talk about the value of the J&J win, it is estimated that wound care should help McCann swell its billing from J&J to about Rs 20 crore.

Jenarius is also happy with the rise in creative standards at the office. In fact, proof of this is the recent success that McCann, Mumbai, has had at various awards - both national, and global. The agency has won a Gold Montreaux for its tactical stunner for BPL Mobile (‘Welcome, orange'), and has also picked up three Finalist certificates at the recent New York Festivals. And it has contributed significantly to McCann's shopping basket at the Abbys and Effies.

"In April 1999, this office had a billing figure that wasn't very sizeable, as we had just surrendered a lot of business to our Delhi office. That time, the only big accounts it had were HSBC, Levers (Vaseline) and BPL Mobile," Jenarius revealed. "Today, we have added quite a lot of business and are as big as some of the biggest in the city. And once Coke moves to Mumbai, we will be really big." Jenarius is looking to end 2001 with 175-per cent growth over April 1999.

© 2001 agencyfaqs!