O&M commissioned to create TVC for Perfetti in Italy

If anyone had any doubts about the fact that Indian advertising is going places, it's time to put those doubts firmly to rest. For the country's creative torchbearer, O&M India, has been commissioned to create advertising for Golia Activ Plus, a leading confectionery brand from Perfetti Van Melle, for the Italian market. The assignment, which initially involves creating a television commercial for the brand, came on the back of a round of presentations attended by "quite a few creative houses in Italy", informed Piyush Pandey, group president & national creative director, O&M, addressing the press jointly with AK Dhingra, director - sales & marketing, Perfetti Van Melle India. "All the agencies were briefed simultaneously, and we won," Pandey beamed.

This is the first time that O&M India would be creating a piece of advertising exclusively for the Italian market - that too with no immediate prospect of the commercial airing in India, as Golia, a sugar-free confectionery, is yet to be launched in India. "It is a great moment for O&M India, Perfetti and Indian advertising, as we are taking back what we learnt from the West," Pandey explains. "Back in the 80s, we used to be handed dockets by clients that listed everything from what point-size to use to what size the logo should be, because back then we were perceived to be too young a market to understand advertising. Today, it feels nice to be conceiving original ideas for them." Specific to Golia, what gives Pandey pride is the fact that it's not only the scripts and concepts that would be sourced from India. "Everything from the cast to the music to the production to the direction will be done in India," he informs. Brother Prasoon Pandey would be working on the film.

Interestingly, advertising created by O&M for Perfetti India has crossed Indian shores before, but as adaptations of made-for-India commercials. For instance, the ‘barber' commercial for Center Shock was adapted for China, and more recently, the ‘bar' commercial for Mentos had a version for the Indonesian and Chinese markets as well. "Indonesia and China are not exactly backward markets as far as advertising is concerned, so Perfetti clearly sees value in the ideas that come out of India," Pandey makes his point.

O&M's six-year association with Perfetti India has certainly paid dividends. But Dhingra merely views this as another opportunity for Indian advertising to make a mark, internationally. "We started with Center Fresh, then Center Shock happened, followed by Mentos," Perfetti's marketing head reasons. "We saw some amazingly good work come out of O&M, work that got noticed and did our brands a lot of good. And once we saw that the advertising was successful and well appreciated in markets like China and Indonesia, we wanted to see if we could get the same kind of results with our other brands in the western markets. So we brought O&M India into the picture."

Dhingra insists that Perfetti India merely played the roll of "a catalyst" in introducing O&M India to his European counterparts. But Pandey gives Perfetti and Dhingra more credit. "The question of ‘why not?' was mooted by Ashok and his team. Also, we didn't have access to the people in Italy, but Perfetti India played the roll of motivator and facilitator," he says. Dhingra, however, points out that the Center Shock and Mentos ads, in their Indian avatars, were "extremely travelable, and this would have reassured our people in Italy that ideas that come out of India can travel. Great ideas are universal in their appeal."

The Golia commercial, which is scheduled for completion in a couple of months, is being described as "a beginning" by both agency and client. "Getting that first break is always tough," Dhingra says. "Now it is up to us and the tribe at O&M to deliver. If we do good work, it will be recognized, and more could follow." Pandey, for his part, wants to take it one step at a time. "For now, we are putting everything into this film. If we keep delivering, God willing, there will be a continuous stream of work," he smiles.

Wonder if this is the beginning of the script to how the west was won… © 2003 agencyfaqs!