Lowe bags HLL's Lakme Hairnext and Hamam

It has been more than a decade, since Ambience Publicis has been handling the brand Lakme. Now that the creative duties for Lakme Hairnext have moved to Lowe, it will come as a surprise for many. Lakme Hairnext was handled by Ambience Publicis, ever since its launch in July 2005. However, Ambience Publicis continues to handle the other Lakme brands.

Meanwhile, another brand from the HLL stable, Hamam has also moved from Bates to Lowe.

Ashok Venkatramani, vice-president, skin-care, HLL, says, “These account movements are a part of realignments happening at HLL at the South East Asian as well as global level.”

Venkatramani asserts that there will be no change in strategy or overall positioning of the Rs 575-crore Hamam brand despite the fact that the custody of the brand has moved to a new agency.

Joseph George, senior vice-president, Lowe, Mumbai, explains Lowe's position, saying, “We are HLL's lead agency in the country, with a majority of their business with us. So naturally, the expertise factor comes in.”

The media mix for the two brands will involve the usual suspects in an HLL communication: television, print, outdoor and radio, followed by below-the-line activities.

As of now, Lakme Hairnext consists of a range of six products: Colour Fresh, Quick Silk, Snap Shine, Instant Bounce and Easy Nourish. Will HLL continue using model-turned-actors Raima Sen and Yana Gupta as Lakme Hairnext's brand ambassadors? Wait and watch

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