DuPont to realign its advertising business with Ogilvy & Mather in India

Following the appointment of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide as its ‘lead' global communications agency, DuPont India, the Indian subsidiary of the US-based EI duPont de Nemours and Company, too will relocate its advertising business in India. The two big brands of DuPont - Teflon and Lycra - currently with McCann-Erickson will move to O&M India, over a period of time. McCann had won the business earlier this year in a multi-agency pitch.

Teflon and Lycra were awarded to McCann by the individual managements of Teflon and Lycra businesses in India. Globally, this is how DuPont used to function. Individual brands had their own management that would take a call on the communication strategy and plans. Which is why different brands had different agencies. That has changed now with the appointment of Ogilvy & Mather. It is the first time in its 200-year history that DuPont has consolidated the marketing and communication across its businesses and the corporate brand with a single lead agency.

Talking about how the process of transition will be carried out in India, a company spokesperson says, "We expect to move the vast majority of our communications business to Ogilvy by the end of the year, though transition for some businesses may not take place until next year. We will maintain relationships with a yet-to-be determined number of specialty agencies to provide us with services in areas where Ogilvy does not have the capability to meet our specific business needs."

By speciality agency, the spokesperson refers to those agencies that would help DuPont carry out marketing-related activities such as market research, exhibitions and trade shows, which may be out of the functional scope of Ogilvy.

Besides Teflon and Lycra, the company has 18-odd brands in India. While two are aligned with McCann, the rest - Tyvek, Kevlar, Elvaloy, Tynex, Zytel, Hytrel, Delrin, AvauntT M, Lannate, Curzate, Kloben, Almix, Algrip, Supro, Duxone, Centari, Butacite - are promoted through international campaigns. Whether some these brands would be given to O&M is not clear yet.

Internationally, DuPont has undertaken a $20-million advertising programme featuring popular DuPont consumer brands, though the brand spends in India is not known. Whether the company will use its international campaign in India as well is another grey area. What is clear, however, is the fact that television and print campaigns will primarily target "women who are employed full time and have children". The campaign is likely to break in late July.

Ogilvy was chosen by an international team of DuPont communications professionals following a four-month process facilitated by DuPont Global Sourcing that used Six Sigma methodology. All wholly-owned DuPont businesses with the exception of DuPont Textiles & Interiors were part of the agency review process.

For the records, DuPont delivers science-based solutions for markets including agriculture, nutrition, electronics, communications, safety and protection, home and construction, transportation, apparel and textiles. © 2003 agencyfaqs!