Saints & Warriors bags Staples-Future Group JV

Other agencies in the fray for the business were Mudra Communications, McCann-Erickson and Leo Burnett. The size of the account is estimated to be Rs 10 crore

Following a multi-agency pitch, Saints & Warriors has won the creative duties for the Staples and Future Group JV in India. There were seven agencies, including Mudra Communications, McCann-Erickson and Leo Burnett, in the fray.

There were two rounds of presentation. Five agencies were rejected in the first round. Saints and Warriors and Mudra Communications were the two finalists. The business is estimated to be in the range of Rs 10 crore. The media duties for Future Group as a whole lie with Starcom MediaVest Group and therefore the media buying and planning for Staples Future Office will be routed through the same agency.

Staples is a US-based company that specialises in office products, including supplies, technology, furniture, and business services. It serves consumers and businesses ranging from home-based businesses to Fortune 500 companies in 22 countries throughout North and South America, Europe and Asia. Staples operates more than 1,800 office superstores worldwide. The company’s sales in 2005 were $16.1 billion.

Staples has entered India in partnership with Future Group. The joint venture company is known by the name of Staples Future Office. The total office products market in India is estimated to be Rs 4,000 crore.

Staples Future Office will serve businesses of various sizes in India through delivery as well as cash and carry locations, offering a wide range of office products from core office supplies to printers to computers. Future Office is looking at launching its operations in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Pune, Ahmedabad, Indore and Chandigarh.

McCann-Erickson is the worldwide creative agency for Staples. Staples was open to considering the credentials of other agencies in India as it wanted to partner with an agency which had in-depth insights about the regional and local markets specific to India.

Shailesh Karwa, co-CEO, Staples Future Office, says, “Staples is launching for the first time in India. India is a unique market and the worldwide advertising strategy of the company may not have necessarily worked here. Therefore we were looking for an advertising agency that understood the local markets of India in great detail. Saints & Warriors came up with a scheme that communicated the essence of our wholesale as well as cash and carry retail formats respective to Indian scenario.”

Pushpinder Singh, founder and copywriter, Saints & Warriors, says, “We were given the task of launching a worldwide brand in India. The course we charted out for promoting their retail chain and institutional selling was localised and fell in place with their thought process.”

The first campaign for the business will be launched by mid October this year. However, the soft launch activities such as below the line activities and marketing initiatives are likely to start by the end of September. Television is not being considered as part of the media mix for the initial phase of the launch. The company will first try to establish its presence in the country by using print, outdoor advertising, radio and other promotion initiatives.