Maximize gets Rs 30-crore media account of Himalaya Drug Company

It is quite a win for Maximize. In a two-way pitch between Maximize (a division of WPP Marketing Communications) and media specialist agency Carat, Himalaya Drug Company (HDC) has allocated its media business worth Rs 30 crore to Maximize. Though Starcom (of the Mediavest Group) too was in HDC's ‘consideration set', it did not make any presentation. The presentations made by the two agencies in the running were essentially credentials based. Prior to Maximize, Contract Advertising (also a WPP group company) was handling the media buying account of HDC, along with the advertising account of the Pure Herbs brand. Post the shift of the AOR account, Contract will continue to work with HDC as one of its advertising agencies.

For HDC, the alignment of the AOR account with a media specialist agency is part of a larger plan of streamlining its communication processes. Though HDC had the option of inviting MindShare, the largest media specialist agency in India, it decided against it. "It is better to stay with the known devil than to go to an unknown devil," chuckles Soumitro Banerji, executive vice-president, HDC. Known devil? "At Contract, we used to interact with Ruby Bana who was heading the media department. When she moved from Contract to Maximize (Contract's media wing is part of Maximize) as general manager with her team, we decided to give Maximize a shot," he explains.

That of course was not the only reason to align the business with Maximize. At the time of the credentials presentation, while Carat talked about its clients, Maximize gave a detailed presentation on its various proprietary media tools. HDC, Banerji points out, has some clear expectations from its media agency - better delivery in terms of reach, OTS (opportunity to see) and GRP (Gross Rating Points). This move brings HDC one step closer to its stated goal of realigning its communication and focus on a single, global brand - Himalaya.

Currently, two agencies- Orchard Advertising and Contract Advertising, Bangalore, are handling the communication of the HDC range of OTC products. While Pure Herbs (launched under the healthcare portfolio) has been assigned to Contract, Orchard Advertising has the advertising account of a second range of developmental brands from HDC. While the company is not ready to talk about its developmental brand, officials indicate the Pure Herbs account is estimated at Rs 2 crore, and that if the products take off well, the account has the potential of going up to Rs 5-crore-plus by the year-end. For Pure Herbs the company has decided keep HDC's trademark Grandma out of the communication.

The Pure Herbs range comprises 12 products made out of 12 specially selected individual herbs that, according to the company, can be used to solve specific problems. The products are Neem (for skin care), Ashvagandha (anti-stress), Brahmi (for alertness), Shallaki (for joint pain), Tulsi (for cough and cold), Amlaki (anti-oxidant), Arjuna (for blood circulation), Karela (for metabolism regulation), Lasuna (for cholesterol protection), Shuddha Gugulu (lipid regulator), Tagara (for relaxation) and Triphala (bowel cleanser). The Pure Herbs range will be available over the counter in packs of 60 capsules each and will be priced between Rs 45 and Rs 60.

No doubt HDC is so upbeat about the prospects of the herbal healthcare market. Worldwide this market segment is estimated at $50 billion and HDC plans to tap this with its marketing joint ventures in 14 countries across the world. It is planning to add three more in the next 12 months. This would help it cover the markets of North and South America, Africa, Eastern Europe, the CIS and the East Asia. © 2002 agencyfaqs!