N. Shatrujeet
Advertising

McCann adds two DuPont businesses to portfolio

The agency has picked up the advertising accounts of Teflon and Lycra following a multi-agency pitch that took place towards the end of 2002

Here's one agency on a roll…

After having pocketed the creative duties' for Nestle India's infant nutrition product range and the to-be-launched Hindi news channel of New Delhi Television (NDTV), McCann-Erickson India has now reported another win from its Mumbai office. The agency has picked up the advertising accounts of two DuPont brands - Teflon and Lycra - following a multi-agency pitch that took place towards the end of 2002.

"We have been awarded the Teflon and Lycra businesses," confirms Govind Pandey, vice-president & general manager, McCann-Erickson India. He informs that the win came on the back of "an integrated pitch that went beyond just advertising". agencyfaqs! has not been able to ascertain the identities of the other agencies that pitched for the two brands.

The trademarked Teflon fluoropolymer resin is best known for its non-stick properties and best associated with cookware, while the trademarked Lycra is spandex fibre, recognized for its ‘stretch' properties in textiles and fabrics. Advertising for two brands has been sporadic in India, although a fairly big print campaign for Lycra (created by Saatchi & Saatchi) ran in late 1999. For the record, the Teflon account has been with MAA Bozell in the past.

Speaking about the advertising objective vis-à-vis Teflon and Lycra, Pandey says, "Both Teflon and Lycra are ingredient brands, so the idea is to build both brands at the consumer level, and thereby enhance the value of the host brand." What this, in effect, means is that the consumer's perception of Teflon and Lycra, as ingredients, has to increase to enable host brands to command a premium. "For a Nirlep or a TTK to command a premium in cookware, the consumer should first feel the premium on Teflon-coated cookware is worth paying for," explains Pandey. To put it in context, it's the kind of premium that a personal computer with an ‘Intel Inside' commands. Or a Dolby-enabled movie theatre commands. "The quality perception of ingredient brands is critical, as you can see," Pandey points out.

Pandey is prepared to reveal only that much about the work on the account. "Activity has begun, and there will be two kinds of communication: brand communication and co-branding with host brands," is all he says. He chooses to remain silent about the size of the wins too. © 2003 agencyfaqs!

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