Shaw Wallace Distilleries appoints Lodestar as media agency

Shaw Wallace Distilleries Limited, which drives the liquor business of Shaw Wallace & Co, has appointed Lodestar as its media agency. The move comes in the wake of a pitch called by the former to review its media business, which was in the custody of Initiative not so long ago.

Confirming the development, Aditya Gupta, vice-president, marketing, Shaw Wallace Distilleries Limited, informs that eight agencies were invited to make presentations as part of the pitch process.

Though he declines to indicate who the agencies were, agencyfaqs! has reliably learnt that apart from Lodestar, Mediaedge:cia (of GroupM) and Madison were some of the heavyweights on the invitee list.

The process of selection involved an initial credentials presentation that was made to the company brass, followed by the first round of pitching. Eventually GroupM and Lodestar made it to the final round of presentations, which were held on the morning of July 5.

Lodestar, says Gupta, won the business on account of a superior presentation that had interesting innovations, a portfolio of research tools as well as a lowdown on how the tools could be used to maximize return on investment. "Lodestar's presentation was the best in our opinion. And we have subsequently taken them on," he adds. © 2004 agencyfaqs!