Quadrant wins SuperMax's global account; Indian business worth Rs 12 crore

Multinational shaving systems specialist SuperMax has appointed Interpublic Group-agency Quadrant Communications as the global brand custodian of the SuperMax brand. Following this decision, Quadrant will henceforth be the lead agency for SuperMax's shaving systems the world over, and will spearhead all brand communication for shaving systems, across markets. In India, Quadrant will be in charge of the advertising for SuperMax's shaving systems, while Advertising Avenues will be handling the communication for SuperMax flat blades (double-edged blades).

Speaking to agencyfaqs! about the global alignment, Anil Nair, vice-president, Quadrant Communications, said, "In most cases, whenever there is a global alignment, the Indian agency plays a secondary, supportive role. Here it's the reverse. Quadrant is the lead agency, and we shall be working with the Lowe network to service the account across regions. So, for instance, Lowe's Dubai office will cater to the brand's requirements in the Gulf region, and will report to us."

Nair informs that the size of the consolidated account (shaving systems only) should be in the vicinity of Rs 25 crore, with a 50-50 allocation for India and the other markets. "I can't capitalize the entire budget to Quadrant, obviously, but I'd say we have Rs 12 crore worth of business. And this does not include flat blades."

Nair is more than thrilled with the win - which, incidentally, was the result of a ‘gate-crashing'. "We heard that the client was scouting for an agency, so we went and presented," Nair chuckles. "It later turned out that the client had almost finalized an agency when we walked in. We made it just in time. SuperMax is one of the real Indian MNC brands around. It is already the market leader (in volumes) in India in flat blades, and is the strong No. 2 to Gillette (in shaving systems) in most global markets. In the Middle East, in fact, SuperMax shares as much visibility as Gillette. We are really proud to associate with the brand on such a scale."

Internationally, SuperMax - a breakaway brand from the House of Malhotra, best known in India for flat blade brands Topaz and Laser - is a significant player in the shaving systems market, with strong retail presence in the US, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. In India, however, it is only now that SuperMax is foraying into the shaving systems market, which is dominated by Gillette. Interestingly, although the brand is a big player in the local flat blade market, brand salience is negligible.

"SuperMax never really emphasized on brand communication for a variety of reasons," says Nair. "But now that it is all set to roll out its products in the shaving systems market, brand communication has become top priority." Nair also informs that the advertising focus for Quadrant would be India. "SuperMax wants to be a strong challenger brand to Gillette in India. So, for now, when it comes to advertising, it'll mostly be India-specific. Most of the work in the other markets would pertain to merchandising, packaging and below-the-line."

Nair, however, adds that whatever communication the agency creates in India will have to cue-in to the brand's global positioning. "Our task is two-fold. The first is to create a global ‘brand architecture' for SuperMax in a way that the communication in different markets - each of which are in different stages of category evolution - fit in seamlessly. The second is to create brand saliency in India."

That's going to be harder than it sounds. For one, the SuperMax brand will exist in India in two avatars: shaving systems and flat blades (that's where the volumes lie). The problem is, both are mutually exclusive segments, at least in perception/image terms. And then there is Gillette.

Nair acknowledges that it wouldn't be easy taking on Gillette. "Gillette has had the advantage of ruling without competition. And with Gillette, you don't need to sell the brand name. But I must say, we're the first real competition to Gillette… competition that Gillette cannot ignore. But I also think we can exist peacefully. The market for systems so is huge. But yes, with the kind of products SuperMax has - and the kind of value it offers - serious competition is here." © 2002 agencyfaqs!