The pitch is primarily for the company's mineral water brand, Dr. Water.
Hyderabad-based WaterHealth India, a social enterprise in the community water space, has initiated a creative pitch. The main objective of this effort is to bring on board a creative partner to help develop the right positioning statement for the company's mineral water offering, Dr. Water.
The overall advertising spends are around Rs 10 crore.
Arup Bansal, head, marketing, WaterHealth International, confirms the development to afaqs!.
A few days ago, the authorities sought initial proposals, comprising mainly the scope of work and financial details, from agencies. Based on this, five agencies have been shortlisted and are required to make presentations soon. These agencies hail from Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Mumbai.
The WaterHealth authorities are yet to finalise the location of the pitch presentations, although there is a skew towards Hyderabad. Moreover, the panel that will judge the presentations is still in the process of being finalised. This panel is likely to include an external authority, in addition to the company heads.
There is no separate pitch for a media agency. However, the selected creative agency will be expected to be equipped with a media buying arm.
Bansal informs afaqs! that though a 360-degree marketing campaign is on the cards, the communication is more likely to exploit interactive media channels than mass media platforms. The target audience mainly comprises individuals in rural Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab and Karnataka, where the company has set up numerous water purification centres known as WaterHealth Centers.
"Individuals belonging to our rural communities tend to perceive water as a commodity rather than as a product or brand," says Bansal, explaining the importance of finding a creative agency that can work on positioning the brand to modify this perception. The participating agencies will be evaluated on both their creative as well as strategic prowess.
WaterHealth International is a US-based company that provides innovative business solutions in places plagued with the lack of safe, clean and affordable water. The company specialises in water purification, consumer service, rural marketing and social entrepreneurship. It provides de-centralised, scalable, safe and affordable water solutions to underserved communities throughout the world.
WaterHealth India is a 100 per cent subsidiary of WaterHealth International Inc. Besides India, the parent company has operations in Bangladesh, Ghana and the Philippines.