Neha Kalra
Advertising

Maruti calls creative agencies for Splash

In the new year, Maruti plans to launch another small car Splash

Maruti Suzuki is all set to make another splash, with the launch of another small car on Indian roads, in the beginning of new year. In most probability, the new car will be called Splash in India. And gearing up for the launch, Maruti Suzuki has called for a creative pitch.

Shashank Srivastava, chief general manager, marketing, Maruti Suzuki India, confirmed the news to afaqs!.

It seems the name of the new car hasn’t yet been finalised. Media reports suggest that the Splash might be called the Ritz in India, however, when asked Srivastava was tight-lipped on this.

Maruti calls creative agencies for Splash
Maruti calls creative agencies for Splash
Currently, Maruti's four roster agencies – Hakuhodo Percept, Lowe Worldwide, Capital Advertising and Dentsu – are in the fray for this business. Dentsu is the new addition in the Maruti family as it handles the creative duties for Zen Estilo. O&M used to handle this business earlier.

The first round of presentations from the agencies will be in January 2009, which will be a creative one, says Srivastava. The agencies were called for an initial meeting and briefing recently.

The car is running on the roads in Europe and was recently launched in Japan. India is next in line.

Hakuhodo Percept handles the Maruti 800, WagonR, Grand Vitara Escudo and the recently launched A-Star. Lowe handles the SX4, Omni, Alto, Swift Dzire and Versa. Capital handles the Swift and Maruti's corporate account.

The mini car segment is set to witness a lot of action in 2009. With Honda getting its first small car, the Jazz, to India, all eyes will undoubtedly be on it. The yet to be launched Hyundai i20 and Fiat Grande Punto will also vie for the consumer's attention.

The question is, with Maruti itself being the largest player in the small car category, with the maximum number of cars in that segment, in what way will the Splash be different? With the new year almost upon us, we'll know soon.

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