INDIA – Building on the outstanding success of its creative partnership with Leo Burnett India, Cholayil has now extended its entire integrated communications mandate to more Publicis Groupe agencies. It has now brought on-board Starcom India as its media agency while Digitas India has been appointed to manage the digital communications mandate for the entire product portfolio under Cholayil.
As part of the mandate, Starcom will manage strategy and media planning and buying across media platforms while Digitas will be providing a robust suite of digital marketing services for popular Cholayil brands such as Medimix, Cuticura, and Krishna Thulasi.
Leo Burnett India had won the creative mandate for Cholayil’s flagship brands Medimix, Cuticura and Krishna Thulasi for their entire product portfolio as also future launches. The business was won after a multi-agency pitch and is being led by Leo Burnett India’s Mumbai office.
Mr. Pradeep Cholayil, Chairman and Managing Director, Cholayil Pvt. Ltd. said, “Cholayil has strong equity and base in Ayurvedic and natural products and as we contemporize our offering further and reach out to newer segments, we needed a partner that leads in integrated communications play and leverages the power of data for engaging, personalised consumer experiences. Publicis Groupe with its ‘Power of One’ model and offering brings in new perspectives and future-facing capabilities. As we embark on our expansion plans, we look forward to benefiting from their experience and expertise.”
Ashish Ohlyan, Head of Marketing, Cholayil Pvt. Ltd. said, “Cholayil and Leo Burnett associated last year and together we delivered great results. Medimix, our flagship brand has grown at a significant pace in a sluggish market on the back of new repositioning. We strongly feel that if there is a synergy in the approach of all key stakeholders then it will benefit the brand exponentially. We look forward to the new collaboration to deliver stronger performance of the brand.”
Commenting on the new partnership and the Power of One offering on behalf of the Groupe, Dheeraj Sinha, MD India & CSO, Leo Burnett, South Asia said: “We have had a great relationship with Cholayil over the last year. I am hugely excited that this relationship is now turning into a full Power of One collaboration model with Digitas and Starcom coming on board along with Leo Burnett. We are confident that this will enable us to weave a seamless narrative for the brand across platforms to deliver on the business through a cross functional team. We are looking forward to creating some outstanding work for each of the Cholayil brands.”
On winning the media business, Rathi Gangappa, CEO, Starcom India said, “This is a prestigious win for us. We were able to demonstrate strong media value for Cholayil and with our Human Experience proposition, we look forward to helping them unlock newer, more contemporary consumer connections. Starcom will help them exceed their marketing objectives and remains committed to their growth and success.”
Adding further Sonia Khurana, COO – Digitas India said “The entire team at Digitas India is thrilled to partner with Cholayil. It’s not everyday that one gets a chance to work with brands that have such a rich heritage. We are looking forward to providing digital solutions that will help Medimix, Cuticura and Krishna Thulasi connect with new age consumers to drive business growth.”
