Mudra, Bangalore, bags Rs 2-crore Same Deutz-Fahr account

Its not just Big B who is whipping up excitement in the otherwise staid farm products market donning the mantle of the Escorts Tractors ambassador; looks like the category is in for some more action with the entry of new player Same Deutz-Fahr India, a 100 per cent subsidiary of the $1-billion Same Deutz-Fahr group of Italy. And the agency that has been entrusted with the task of creating excitement around the brand is Mudra, Bangalore. The advertising account is estimated at Rs 2 crore.

The other agency in the race for the account was Saatchi & Saatchi, but according to S Radhakrishnan, vice-president, Mudra, his agency won the pitch on the strength of its brand building expertise in categories that address the same set of consumers that Same's plans to target. Reiterates Kamal Bali, commercial director (Asia), Same Deutz-Fahr India, "The choice of Mudra was dictated by its reputation as a good creative agency and the quality of the team that empathised with the category very well." For the record, the Same Deutz-Fahr Group is present in the world market with four brands: Same, Lamborghini, Hürlimann and Deutz-Fahr.

The task for Mudra is far from easy given the nature of the category. "We want to target repeat buyers as these people have already used tractors and know what they want. Our product is available in the middle- and high-power categories and is loaded with features that an accustomed buyer is sure to appreciate," says Bali. Incidentally, Bali was with the Escorts group until four month ago as their head of sales. While his earlier company is using celebrities such as Amitabh Bachchan and Sunny Deol to endorse its tractors, his Italian employer - a company credited with developing the first tractor in the world - hopes to woo the middle- to upper-middle income group farmers following an entirely different route.

According to Bali, since the gameplan is to rope in experienced buyers, the need to splurge money on brand ambassadors does not arise. "We are targeting the slightly affluent buyer who knows what to go for. And consumers who know want they want base their decision on the basis of the technology and how much they wish to spend for the same."

The company (which entered India three years ago in a joint venture with Greaves, and went solo in June this year) has lined up four new models of tractors for launch - Same 393, Same 453, Same 503 and the Same 603. The range encompasses 39 to 60 bhp tractors that are already available in some market of the south and are waiting to see a wider rollout and distribution next year.

Bali, however, is not willing to share his advertising plans right away. He says, however, the strategy will be print-led supported by a lot of direct marketing efforts. "You will be seeing a lot more of us in the near future," is all that Bali would reveal at this stage. © 2002 agencyfaqs!