Retail chain Subhiksha falls into Orchard’s lap

Orchard Advertising has bagged the creative duties for Subhiksha, the discount supermarket and pharmacy retail chain. Till a few months ago, the business was handled by O&M, Chennai, on a project basis.

The pitch for the business was called for in the third week of September 2006; six other agencies entered the fray at the time.

Confirming this development to agencyfaqs!, Mohit Khattar, president, Subhiksha Trading Services, says that the media spends will be around Rs 15 crore.

As part of the pitch process, the participating agencies were asked to develop a strong platform from which to communicate Subhiksha’s value propositions and to outline a clear communication strategy for the company.

Khattar says, “We were very particular about the fact that we did not want an armchair creative consultant who had no clue about the consumer’s mindset. In this respect, Orchard, Bangalore, had clearly done its homework and its understanding of the brand was near perfect. More importantly, its translation of consumer insights into strong communication ideas reflected maturity and depth.”

Nitish Mukherjee, managing director, Orchard Advertising, adds, “We presented an idea that would bring the brand’s values before the consumers in a significant and relevant manner.”

“The challenge was to present a modern retail outlet to the Indian mindset and we did that successfully,” he says.

The agency will be looking at both above-the-line and below-the-line activities. As of now, the media duties will be handled in-house.

The Subhiksha store count adds up to 300 stores across India, in Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, including 100 stores in Delhi and 80 stores in Gujarat. Subhiksha’s current plans include spreading its shop network in Mumbai and Pune.

© 2006 agencyfaqs!