Publicis India bags Globus and ICICI’s alternate channel project

Publicis India has added two new businesses to its kitty. These two businesses are the Rajan Raheja Group’s retail chain, Globus, and ICICI’s alternate channel project.

The size of the Globus business alone is estimated to be around Rs 10-15 crore. Globus, which used mainly print and radio in its previous communication, now plans to use television as well as the new media.

The pitch for the Globus business was held early last year and it saw around six top agencies in the fray, including Euro RSCG and Rediffusion DY&R. But it’s only now that the company has finally signed up Publicis India as its creative agency.

Till date, Euro RSCG has been providing brand consultancy to Globus, while the creative duties were managed in-house. However, Euro RSCG’s media arm, Media Planning Group (MPG), will continue handling the media duties for this account.

Shrujeet Mitra, deputy general manager, brand development, Globus India, says, “We have closely monitored the work done by Publicis India on other fashion brands such as Garnier. We felt that as an advertising agency, it understands the nitty-gritty of style and fashion.”

Ambba Kuthiala, senior vice-president, Publicis India, says, “This new business comes with dual challenges – first, to understand the intrinsic fashion needs of the consumers as Globus is a fashion brand and then to position it as a favourite retail destination.”

Meanwhile, the agency has also bagged the creative duties for ICICI’s alternate channel project. For this business, Publicis India had to compete with agencies such as Saatchi & Saatchi and Law & Kenneth.

ICICI’s alternate channel project is the first of its kind in India. It will be a biometric enabler and will act as the technological arm for introducing smart card and code banking in the rural parts of India. Due to shortage of electricity and lack of infrastructural facilities, the project will set up human agents for quick day-to-day banking transactions, instead of electrified ATM machines.

Each bank customer will have his own smart card, which will be embedded with digital chips carrying account information and biometric identification such as fingerprints. The bank agents, after identifying the biometrics of the user, will enable him to transact with the bank, making it a foolproof scheme.

According to the industry sources, the company will initially begin with below-the-line activities to reach out to the consumers, but as and when the project starts expanding, conventional media such as print, television and radio may also be used. However, neither the agency nor the client was ready to reveal even the estimated size of the business; both said it was too premature to comment.

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