Dentsu Marcom wins Educomp Solutions' brand, Smartclass

Dentsu India's flagship agency, Dentsu Marcom has won the advertising duties for Educomp Solutions' brand, Smartclass. The 20-year-old company provides diversified education solutions.

M&C Saatchi was the incumbent agency on this account. The move, it has been learnt, is the result of a multi-agency pitch, where the participating agencies were Lowe Lintas, Saatchi & Saatchi and Ogilvy India. Apparently, the incumbent was not part of the pitch process.

SmartClass, Educomp Solutions' prime offering, is being used by more than 5 million students in over 4,500 schools across India. Smartclass, which has a 100 per cent growth rate, is a series of interactive educative tools (courses) designed for classes from Kindergarten to Class 12.

The tools cover multiple subjects as per the school curriculum and deliver solutions through unique simulations, interactive animations and videos; all linked together by an involving narrative, thus providing the basis for an interactive learning experience for students.

Commenting on the choice of creative partner, Abhinav Dhar, director, k12 business and operations, Educomp, conveyed in a press statement, "We were looking for a passionate set of minds that could internalise our dream for the brand. Dentsu clearly demonstrated it had the DNA to translate our vision for the brand into reality with its formidable credentials, and more importantly, its quick uptake of our aspirations."

When afaqs! contacted Dhar, he declined to comment on the ad spends, explaining that media budgets are in the process of being finalised.

Speaking on the account win, Rajesh Aggarwal, president, Dentsu India says, "It's an exciting opportunity for us to communicate to parents and schools how technology, ethics and vision have been brought together to make for a powerful brand, which nurtures and benefits their school-going children in the day-to-day learning process."

For the record, Educomp Solutions was founded in 1994, and currently reaches out to over 26,000 schools, 15 million learners and educators, across the world. The organisation has been at the forefront of various pioneering initiatives in the e-education space for many years.