Aditya Chatterjee
Advertising

McCann Erickson, Bangalore, wins MSN

The agency will be conducting a 360 degree advertising campaign on behalf of MSN

McCann Erickson, Bangalore, has won the twin accounts of MSN's search and messenger services and the integrated advertising business of MetLife India.

Dileep Ashoka, vice-president and general manager, McCann Erickson, Bangalore, has confirmed the news. Euro RSCG used to handle the MSN business until recently.

"While MSN search is all about information, MSN messenger is about networking. And, the users are mainly the youth. The challenge is to create relevance in the market place and connect with this user group," Ashoka says.

The agency will be conducting a 360 degree advertising campaign on behalf of MSN. "We are currently brain-storming on the campaign. It's a complex challenge for us. We are analysing user data and it is clear that not all users of MSN services belong to the SEC A category. On the contrary, much of the usage happens at cybercafes. Our communication, therefore, has to address this issue," he adds.

The MetLife (Metropolitan Life Insurance Company) account, meanwhile, was won in a multi-agency pitch. The account size is in the region of Rs 17 crore, and will involve both the media and creative businesses of the insurance major.

Asoka says there were a couple of agencies in the fray; the list included McCann Erickson, FCB Ulka, Enterprise (the incumbent agency), and J Walter Thompson. The company had finally short-listed JWT and McCann Erickson, and McCann, Bangalore finally won the account.

MetLife India offers a range of insurance products, embedding the message of ‘financial freedom for everyone' in its communication. Headquartered in Bangalore, MetLife India has outfits in nine cities and an additional 1000 outreach points run by distribution channel partners.

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