SSC&B, Bangalore, bags prestigious Sobha Developers account

In a keenly contested battle involving six agencies, SSC&B bagged the Sobha Developers account in Bangalore last week. Confirming the news, Sangita Sharma, corporate affairs, Sobha Developers, told agencyfaqs!, "We decided to award the account to SSC&B as they were able to provide a communication solution that we thought would help us take the next step forward. We would be allocating Rs 2 crore for our communication work."

The pitch process was kicked off way back in October 2002 and SSC&B was one of the first agencies to pitch for the business. Other agencies - O&M, Contract, Saatchi & Saatchi, Enterprise Nexus, Aspirations and incumbent Bull's Eye Media (later two are Bangalore-based outfits) - followed suit. Going by the number of contenders, it is evident Sobha is a prestigious account in an otherwise uninspiring category.

And rightly so. The Rs 150-crore Sobha Group is part of the Gulf-based Services & Trade Company started by PNC Menon in 1977. It set up shop in Bangalore in 1994 and now has a complete bouquet of offerings in the shape of Sobha Developers, Sobha Interiors, Sobha Metal Glazings, Sobha Projects & Services and Sobha Renaissance.

"Apart from gaining prominence by building palaces and mosques for the royalty in that region, the group has also been involved with the posh Jumeirah Beach Hotel and the Wasi Shopping Mall in Dubai," informs Sharma. "We are a fully backward integrated company and probably the only one that has complete in-house control over all aspects of our business, including plumbing, electricity, interiors etc. We have handled all the projects for Infosys in Hyderabad, Pune, Mysore and Bangalore. We have just completed one for ICICI Bank at Sobha Pearl on Commissariat Road (the premier business address of Bangalore)," she said.

Clearly, SSC&B has landed an account that is bound to see big-time action in the coming months. The company is working on at least seven residential projects currently. It is also looking to foray into other markets such as Delhi in the next one year.

"We have evolved a very powerful vision; we have also proved we can set standards in the market," said Sharma of Sobha. "We are ready to move to the next stage of our evolution and want to say how passionate we are about our work. That is why we need an agency that can communicate our global lineage, logo and the new thought effectively."

Talking about its task ahead, SSC&B vice-president & regional manager Bela Vora said, "We understood their vision very well and were able to put forward a very cohesive strategy for the group. That made the client comfortable." Communication will primarily involve print and outdoor media (locally), and then move on to national media towards the end of the year. © 2003 agencyfaqs!