Bausch & Lomb India assigns media mandate to DDB MudraMax

DDB MudraMax, a specialist offering from the DDB Mudra Group, has bagged the media duties of the US eye health product giant Bausch & Lomb. The account was won following a multi-agency pitch.

As part of the win, DDB MudraMax will manage the above-the-line (ATL) media planning and strategy requirements for the brand. In addition to this, it will also utilise its expert approach, analysis, and understanding of consumer and value proposition to further strengthen the position of the brand in the Indian market, says the agency in a press release.

Commenting on the development, Indranil Chakravarty, commercial director, business unit head, vision care, Bausch & Lomb, says, "The contact lens user base is low in India due to various myths and perceptions. It is perceived as difficult to wear, uncomfortable, and above all, costly. Bausch & Lomb is trying to grow the category by targetting the bottom of the pyramid by introducing iConnect which at Rs 200 per month is the most affordable lens in its category. This will re-define the entry level prices for contact lens users in India."

According to Chakravarty, Bausch & Lomb is the category leader in India. "We are trying to expand the category and create awareness through mass communication. We are happy to partner with DDB MudraMax and are banking heavily on its expertise to spread our communication far and deep among our target segments and geographies," he says.

Sanjay Bhutani, managing director - India & SAARC, Bausch & Lomb, adds, "The contact lens industry in India is at a very nascent stage with a penetration rate of around 6 per cent of the population requiring vision correction. As a market leader, it becomes our responsibility to grow the category through increasing penetration and reach with more market appropriate products."

Commenting on the new win, Tarun Nigam, executive vice-president (EVP), DDB MudraMax-Media, informs, "Bausch & Lomb was looking at a very specific set of interventions for its brand. This assumed greater importance as the brand has been absent from mass-media for the last few years. The win is a result of an amalgam between strategy and creative media application, to ensure the best possible message targetting."

Bausch & Lomb India is a global health brand which deals in contact lens, lens care, surgical ophthalmology, and aesthetic verticals. Its brands like iConnect, SL59, PureVision, Lacelle, BioTrue, and ReNu are widely used by Indian consumers.

DDB MudraMax is a specialist offering from the DDB Mudra Group which handles media, experiential, and out-of-home (OOH) businesses. It has a network of offices across India which claims to have an outreach to 1,75,000 villages, 4,000 towns, 3,500 schools and nearly seven million students.