India: MPG beats three to win $2m edible oil media business

The media agency, which Havas rolled out in India in November 2002, won the business following a four-way pitch which involved Carat and Madison.

"This is not an AOR, but the media business for one campaign from the group. Apart from this, we have just won the Gold Winner brand in Karnataka alone. But (Aditya Birla) is important to us, as this is a leading edible oil brand in the region," said Sandip Tarkas, president for South Asia, MPG.

MPG won the business from RK Swamy, which handled media buying for the edible oil brand for the last two years.

The creative part of the account, meanwhile, remains with Vyas Gianetti Creative, which launched a new advertising initiative for the brand late last month.

The $6 billion Aditya Birla group, is rated among the largest business houses in the country and with 40 companies in its fold, it stretches across 18 countries, including Canada, Australia, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Egypt.

It has interests in the sponge iron, chemicals, branded apparel, software, telecom, aluminium, carbon black, insurance and asset management.

For MPG, the Aditya Birla account acquisition comes on the heels of the LG Care win, announced last month.

"We were chosen clearly on our experience as we have in the past worked with Hindustan Lever," said Tarkas.

Tarkas was with Fulcrum (part of Group M, which handles Hindustan Lever in India) for eight years.

MPG's portfolio of major accounts also includes Reckitt Benckiser in Delhi. The agency claims it has bagged 11 new clients this year, taking its roster of clients up to 26.

MPG currently has 45 people spread across its Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore offices.

It has a 15-member team devoted to the Reckitt account.