Domino's moves from Equus Red Cell to Contract, AOR moves to Maximize

Contract Advertising, Delhi, is in high spirits. Last week it drove away the prestigious WagonR business from Rediffusion, and now it is feasting on Domino's. There were three agencies in the fray, besides Contract. They were Rediffusion DY&R, Bates Advertising and defending agency Equus Red Cell. Though the size of the advertising business is modest, "…it is indeed a very attractive brand," reassures Rakshit Hargave, chief of marketing, Domino's. Alongside, the company has realigned its media duties, which moves from Madison Media to Maximize, Delhi.

The idea of moving the AOR, however, came during the course of the review of the advertising agencies for the creative duties. "We have seen that the combination of the creative agency with its media counterpart works well. Since this was on our minds we talked about it to Madison, which had been doing our media buying. Subsequently, we decided to align the AOR with the Maximize," says Hargave.

Putting the business under review was in compliance with the international call to review agencies since Domino's worldwide is planning some new initiatives. With India being one of its key markets, the company decided to put its agency roster under the scanner. "We had a great relationship with Equus Red Cell. The agency did good work; however we had to observe the protocol. I must say the dividing line was very thin. All the agencies started equal and they came up with good ideas," says Hargave.

While all the agencies did start out on an equal footing, minor differences did play a role in the final decision. "Contract did a good job, no doubt. However, the agency's connection with JWT (Contract started out as the second agency of HTA, as JWT India was known till recently) gave Contract that edge over the others," admits Hargave. Incidentally, the advertising agency for Domino's at its headquarters (in Michigan, USA) is J Walter Thompson.

But this is not to suggest that Contract's gain was the result of a global realignment. "That we are a JTW agency did not discount us from pitching for the business, and we gave a full-fledged presentation," clarifies Mohit Hira, senior vice-president, Contract Advertising, Delhi. In fact, Contract pitched in conjunction with Maximize (confirms Hira) and iContract, the direct marketing division of Contract. "While iContract gave direct marketing support, Maximize pitched for media planning and buying," adds Hira.

Since Domino's in India (as part of its worldwide plans) is set for a lot of action (which, of course, the company is not willing to share at this stage), the brief for the pitch centered at the future of Domino's. The company gave the prospective agencies specific projects to work on and they made a creative-cum-strategy presentation. And, as it turns out, Contract emerged victorious.

Talking about the win, Hira says, "There is no denying that competition was good. Domino's is a lovely brand and the win gives us a great feeling. The feeling is even better because it comes back-to-back with WagonR."

And the excitement is palpable. What is to be seen is how Contract takes the current brand idea, ‘Hungry Kya' forward. ‘Hungry Kya' has tremendous recall, and the company plans to retain this property. Will it restrict the agency from exploring new creative possibilities? "Not at all. The opportunities are tremendous, though I cannot talk about them right now," avers Hira. On the media front, the company would be active above the line as well as the below the line. © 2002 agencyfaqs!