Shamni Pande
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HTA, Chennai, bags Venus water heater account

The ad spend on Venus in the last fiscal was to tune of Rs 1.5 crore

After a lull following the euphoria on the awards front, HTA, Chennai, is busy hunting for new accounts. And like most other agencies, it is fervently pursuing local businesses. One such account that has recently swung its way is Venus water heater from the Standard Electric Appliances stable. While company executives refused to disclose the size of the account, the ad spends on Venus in the last fiscal was to tune of Rs 1.5 crore.

Significantly, Venus was among the first in its category to actually take on the task of brand building and communication seriously as early as 1994. "We had this ad which showed the power of our product using the imagery of horses. It had a very high recall in the market. We have advertised off and on since then on various TV channels, but we've never worked with a big agency," says I Ramkumar, director, sales, Standard Electric Appliances.

In the past, the company used the services of Equations, a Chennai-based agency. "We decided to opt for HTA as we need strategic inputs on brand positioning and how to establish ourselves as a leading player in the market," adds Ramkumar. It seems it was ‘the proactive effort' on the part of HTA that nudged the account its way.

The company is quite bullish about its growth prospects. The market for store and instant water heaters today is valued at Rs 150 crore and the company's turnover stands at Rs 25 crore. "We are a national player and have a market share of 20 per cent. In the forthcoming winter season, we hope to see ourselves growing faster," he says.

Talking about the media skew, Ramkumar says, "While we will be press-led in most parts, we don't want to ignore the satellite channels altogether. We have found it useful to be on television, especially in the south where the spread of this medium is very wide." © 2002 agencyfaqs!

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