Madison is the AOR for Cadbury

This is a decision that the contenting parties on the Cadbury AOR final shortlist - Madison, Media Planning Group and Maximize - have eagerly awaited for. Madison, Mumbai, was informed yesterday by the chocolate major that it was being awarded the Rs 60-crore media account (including both planning and buying). agencyfaqs! readers would recall our report on the Cadbury media account review (Cadbury calls for a media pitch) that mentioned the Cadbury AOR was under review.

Needles to say, Madison is ecstatic about this development. Says Sam Balsara, chairman and managing director, Madison Communications, "I was a little under the weather yesterday, but the news just made my fever disappear." Balsara's excitement is understandable, given his earlier association with the brand. "I had cut my teeth at marketing in Cadbury, where I had joined in 1975 as brand manager. And now Cadbury is our client; it feels just great."

As for the brief, the media agency was asked to make a strategic plan for an un-named brand. This is usually the method observed by many companies when an account is under review in order to get an idea of the kind of strategic insights agencies can give. And what really clinched the deal for Madison was "…the agency's ability to combine excellent strategic planning, efficient media buying, and superior innovation capabilities," says a company official.

Balsara pointed out, "Conventionally, clients ask media agencies to share rates (rates at which the agency would buy space). At Madison we follow a strict policy of not sharing our rates. We have not shared the rates with Cadbury or with any other client simply because it is completely absurd to give rates based on a hypothetical situation." © 2003 agencyfaqs!