Swatch goes to TBWA\Anthem

It is not Bates, which was regarded as the ‘frontrunner'; nor is it HTA, the defending agency. As it turns out, TBWA\Anthem, Delhi, is the new advertising agency of Swiss watchmaker Swatch.

agencyfaqs! readers would recall the story we ran in June, when Abhimanyu Chakravorty, manager, sales, Swatch, told us that the Swatch account was up for grabs. While he did not reveal the names of the agencies in the fray, our information indicated there were no less than five agencies in the running for this high profile business.

In a strategy-cum-creative presentation, TBWA\Anthem bested the other four and walked away with the account. Talking about the brief from the company, Viren Razdan, vice-president, TBWA\Anthem, Delhi, says, "The brief was about the manner in which to transfer the brand experience on ground to the youth and figure out how media could be most effectively used to connect with them. With that in mind we presented our strategic insights and creative inputs." That helped swing the decision in TBWA\Anthem's favour.

As far as the size of the business is concerned, the agency prefers to remain quiet. While it's for everybody to see that the company is not among the biggest spenders, with a new agency and a new advertising direction, the size of the account is expected to be handsome.

It seems the big focus for the agency would be to conceive on-ground promotions and event launches and create tactical ads for the brand. That would also include looking at the retail showrooms and shop-in-shops. The new print campaign is expected to break in August. But the question is: Will there be an attempt to tailor the ads to make them more relevant in the Indian context? While the company will continue to release international ad campaigns in India, the agency is ready to give it all. "If to deliver the brand values, we are required to chip in creatively, we surely will," affirms Razdan.

To put things in perspective, Swatch entered India in January 2000. Swatch Group's brands in India include Omega, Longines, Rado, Tissot, and Calvin Klein. "It took a while for Swatch to find its feet in the market. Now that the company is getting stronger on the ground, obviously the brand communication is being revised as part of the new marketing focus. A brand, after all, is the face of the company," comments an industry source close to the recent developments at Swatch. © 2002 agencyfaqs!