Sagar Ratna awards creative mandate to abm Communication

South Indian specialty restaurant chain Sagar Ratna has appointed abm Communication to handle its creative duties. The agency won the account after a multi-agency pitch, which began in May in Delhi.

Under the creative mandate, the agency will start off by creating a new logo, look and feel for the brand. The brand's outlets will also undergo transformation to attract a younger crowd and will sport a modern, young look.

"Our intent is to create a strong brand association with our new identity and continue to build an extraordinary dine-in experience for our customers. To further connect with youth, we want to generate a delightful disposition towards the category and make Sagar Ratna synonymous with the category itself," he says.

Krishna adds that the brand faces a challenge from the increasing number of frozen food outlets. "We have primarily operated on word-of-mouth publicity for the last 20-25 years. Customers come to us from experience, which we showcase to new customers, so that they can understand and appreciate what we have to offer. The market in the last five years has opened to all kinds of foods, especially frozen supply chains. We cook to order and produce food from raw ingredients. So, the challenge is to explain to people how this is better than products that are frozen," he says.

Abhijit Basu, managing director, abm Communication, says, "The intent is to consistently and continuously strive to project Sagar Ratna as the largest chain of South Indian vegetarian food in North India, employing upon its lineage and patronage. While the quality and taste of the food will remain the same, the experience will be very different."

Basu adds that while it's exciting to work for one of the iconic brands in North India, the challenge will be to bring new personality to the brand and new approach to its communication.

Apart from product launches, communication strategy will comprise a complete brand campaign, which will largely focus on print, radio, cinema and below-the-line activities. Gradually, it will extend to above-the-line and digital as well. The agency intends to break the main campaign by August.

Sagar Ratna was founded in 1986 by Jayaram Banan with its first branch in Defence Colony market in Delhi. Today, the brand has 54 company-owned branches across Delhi NCR and 36 franchise outlets in Haryana, Rajasthan and UP. The brand is on an aggressive expansion spree and is looking at setting up more company-owned outlets to ensure standards and control over the operating process.

abm Communication recently observed its 10th anniversary. The agency provides integrated and cost-effective strategic solutions to brands. In March, it won the creative duties of Urban Country, a premium leather shoes and accessories brand. Some of the brands the agency has worked on include Aspiring Minds, Manohar Lal Jewelers, The Muthoot Group, Dr Lal Path Labs, Axiss Dental, Everest Industries, Moen, Pearl Academy and Evok.