Gutfeel to handle Hello FM's creative duties

The Chennai-based communications firm Gutfeel, which was launched around two years back, has bagged the creative mandate for Hello FM, a popular FM station in Tamil Nadu. The radio channel is present across seven cities in the state.

For Gutfeel, this win comes close on the heels of winning the creative duties for the real-estate brand VGN Developers.

Until recently, CMM, a Chennai-based ad agency, was in-charge of Hello FM's creative mandate. No multi-agency pitch was held before the account moved to Gutfeel. A couple of months back the agency worked on this account on a one-off project basis. The current development is a result of this experience.

Addressing the acquisition, Amarnath Pingalay, business head, Gutfeel, says, "Our task is to make Hello FM a 'top of mind' brand among listeners, as well as advertisers, and thereby improve its listenership and advertising revenues."

It is interesting to note that the current leadership team at Gutfeel (that is, its founding partners Josie Francis and (Amarnath) Pingalay) was involved with the launch campaign for Hello FM back in 2006. At the time, this duo was part of TBWA Chennai. At TBWA, Francis held the position of senior creative director and vice-president, and Pingalay served as branch head.

Commenting on this, Rajeev Nambiar, chief executive officer, Hello FM, says, "We believed in their guts in the earlier stint, and now they will take us further and make us a brand to reckon with."

Francis, who is creative head, Gutfeel, says, "The opportunity to do edgy vernacular work is rare. But, with Hello FM, it's an everyday opportunity. Our gut is raring to go."

Remy, head of content, Hello FM, adds, "The team at Gutfeel is fun to work with. It understands the medium, and more importantly, is good at understanding the nuances of the Tamil market, which is very critical for us."

The media mix for the upcoming campaign comprises print, outdoor, and radio communication. While TV is not a part of the marketing mix at the moment, there is a possibility of advertising on this medium in the future.

The media planning and buying mandate for Hello FM lies with Mindshare.

The six-member team at Gutfeel currently handles brands across categories such as real-estate, jewellery, education, and hospitality.