Starcom bags Rs 16-crore media account of Dr Morepen

It was a long and tough fight among four agencies - Maximize India, Lodestar (FCB-Ulka), Starcom Mediavest Group (that among others handles the media accounts of Leo Burnett, Ambience and Orchard) and (defending agency) Zenith Media (media agency of Bates and Saatchi & Saatchi) contesting for Dr Morepen's media business. And at the end Starcom walked away with the Rs 16-crore media account of Dr Morepen. The news was confirmed by Kartik Raina, managing director, Dr Morepen.

agencyfaqs! readers would recall in the story Dr Morepen's AOR account is up for review, (reported on May 1, 2002), where we had mentioned that this year the media budget of Dr Morepen is expected to go up to Rs 20 -Rs 25 crore. However, while confirming the news of the appointment of the new media agency, Dr Morepen officials indicated the company has fixed on a budget of Rs 16 crore, which is Rs 6 crore more than the company's spend last fiscal. Under the new arrangement, Starcom will handle the media business for all Dr Morepen brands including Dab Fizz, Sat Isabgol, Gol-Goli, 2-Kool, C-Candy, C-Sip and Y-Sugar. It will also handle the AOR for Medipath products (Dr Morepen's diagnostics division selling medical devices and clinical diagnostic products).

The agencies were adjudged on two parameters essentially. First was strategy planning and second, innovation in media. "The role of innovation was the critical differentiator," says Raina adding, "though all the agencies did an impressive job especially when they had to give the media budget on the brand …" Which essentially means "Starcom scored over the others in media innovation". Raina also says, "Starcom is strengthening its Delhi office; so there is going to be a lot action."

To elaborate on the pitch process, each of the four agencies was given an existing Dr Morepen brand and a certain budget. With the allocated budget, the task for the agency was to demonstrate the best way to proceed with the brand.

And innovation was what Dr Morepen was looking for. "Innovation is the most critical factor. We want an agency that can present clutter breaking, revolutionary ideas on using media. I was present at the recent EMVIES and I really found the work done on Indica V2 and Maruti Versa very innovative," says Dr N K Chandrasekhar, general manager, media alliances, Dr Morepen. Here Dr Chandrasekhar is referring to the performance of Lodestar that picked up two silver EMVIES for Indica V2 (one in the Best Media Strategy category, another in the Best Media Innovation - Internet category), and Madison Communications which won a Gold for Maruti Versa (in the Best Media Innovation - TV category). "That's the real test for an agency - when all of them have access to the same information, yet come out with completely different ideas." © 2002 agencyfaqs!