Percept reclaims Sahara TV; adds Lucas' battery business

Percept Advertising's Mumbai office has won back the entire advertising account of entertainment channel Sahara TV (including the C&S channel's soon-to-be-launched news channels, Sahara Samay, Sahara Samay Uttar and Sahara Samay Mumbai) following a multi-agency pitch that occurred in December last. And the agency's Chennai office has bagged the account of Lucas Indian Service's ready-for-launch automotive battery brand.

In addition to this, over the past month, Percept, Chennai, has also picked up the accounts of Pinnacle Services (software), NEG Micon (alternative energy) and three developmental brands from pain-relief specialist, Amrutanjan. And not to be outdone, the agency's Hyderabad office has won the accounts of optical solutions brand Lawrence & Mayo, and has been entrusted with all the current communication requirements for Genome Valley, the Andhra Pradesh Government's ambitious biotech research, training and manufacturing initiative.

"This has certainly been a hugely rewarding month for Percept," Rajesh Pant, CEO, Percept Advertising, glows with pride. "For one, we are extremely happy that Sahara TV is back with us." To refresh the memory, sometime in mid-2002, Sahara TV had moved the business out of Percept to SSC&B's Mumbai office. And considering Percept is one of the primary agencies in the Sahara India roster, the loss of Sahara TV was seen as a setback for Percept. "The return of that client is a reaffirmation of our capabilities and our commitment," says Pant.

The other big win for the agency is certainly that of Lucas Indian Service's battery brand. Pant is not willing to divulge anything about the win - apart from confirming that Percept was invited to pitch for the account, and that it "has been mandated to launch a range of batteries across segments". However, agencyfaqs! has gathered that Lucas Indian Service - a subsidiary company of Lucas-TVS, the JV between Lucas Industries plc of the UK and the TVS Group - is launching a new battery brand that would compete with the likes of Standard and Amaron at the top-end and mid-range. agencyfaqs! has also gathered that the brand - catering to two-wheelers, four-wheelers and tractors - is slotted for launch in a month, though the brand name remains a secret. For the record, Lucas Indian Service is into the business of servicing auto electricals and fuel injection equipment, the distribution of a range of auto ancillaries, and the manufacturing of ignition coils and solenoid switches.

Pant is reluctant about giving out details like expected billing per new acquisition. All he says is, "The total billing from all the six-seven accounts are very substantial… as you can easily guess. But I think the more important thing is that Percept has been going through a makeover, and the results are for everyone to see. We are being invited to more pitches, and we are winning more pitches. We're happy with that." © 2003 agencyfaqs!