"This win is particularly satisfying because Hindustan Petroleum has been a client since 1930 (a year after J. Walter Thompson established the agency in India), and losing it would have been a major setback both financially and for staff morale and market reputation,
The client has also expanded HTA's assignments beyond lubricants to include retail marketing and the LPG account, according to Khanna.
Budgets are still being worked out, but he expected that impending privatisation of HPC as well as deregulation of the industry would prompt increased advertising and marketing investments.
With the Government allowing other companies to operate petrol stations, Khanna expected HPC would be making a stronger push to market its retail outlets.
"We have never seen much retail activity in the past, but now HPC has deregulation to contend with,
Khanna added.
HPC has about 4,500 retail outlets throughout India and owns a little more than 50 per cent of them. It is understood that the company plans to increase the number of owned outlets to about 65 per cent.
HPC has spent about Rs3 billion (about US $62 million) refurbishing its retail outlets and plans to spend a similar amount in the next two years upgrading the rest.
In a related development, HTA has transferred HPC's media brief to newly-established sister firm, MindShare.
