McDowells Signature selects success icons

Company press release, February 6, 2004

Bangalore

McDowells Signature - the new sign of success, has launched the second series of McDowells Signature Success Icon Advertising Campaign. The ad campaign showcases young Indian businessmen who have defied the odds, established new business paradigms by changing the rules of business and thereby successfully created wealth.

The campaign features prominent business personalities like Rajesh Mehta, Managing Director, Rajesh Exports Limited; Neeraj Roy, Managing Director & CEO, Virtual Marketing Limited (Hungama.com & Indiafm.com) and Shravan Shroff, Director, Shringar Films. The earlier campaign featured Jay Galla, CEO, Amaron Batteries; Alok Kejriwal, CEO, contest2win.com and Salil Chaturvedi from Provogue.

Mr. Alok Gupta, Senior Vice President, UB Group Spirits Division said, We sifted through scores of entrepreneurs who fit the selection criteria. The achievers are personalities who have not only earned the respect of the business community but also their employees and other stakeholders through innovation or technological breakthrough or new management practices.

Last year consumer studies indicated that the brands target audience measured success by the amount of wealth created by an individual, setting benchmarks at an early age. The first campaign MD at 36 gave the brand tremendous TOM recall as well as made an emotional connect with the consumer. This insight gave birth to McDowells Signature Success Icons.

The campaign was a step in the right direction and the appeal has been enhanced in the current ad campaign by adding a face to the MD who actually made it big. These McDowells Signature Success Icons take the Brand Promise further.

Last 4 years the brand has been growing at a CAGR of 44% and we hope to garner 24% market share by the end of 2003-04. This year, McDowells Signature is expected to achieve volume of 2.3 lakh cases as compared to 1.7 lakh cases last year, added Mr. Gupta.

McDowells Signature has always been associated with those who appreciate the finer things in life. Just as McDowells Signature has chosen to promote Golf to stimulate the physical side of its core audience, it has brought intellectual stimulation through McDowells Signature TheatreFest and McDowells Signature Success Series. Signature Events have become part of refined lifestyles and certainly, the new sign of success.

For further information please contact:

S Roy Kandpal

Rediffusion | DYR Public Relations

Phone: 080 529 2947

Mobile: 98450 97970

Email: s_roy@ind.dyr.com