Campaign India Agency Report Card 2010: TBWA India

Type of agency Advertising

Company ownership Omnicom

Key personnel Shiv Sethuraman, CEO, Niraj Dadoo, CFO, Nirmalya Sen, MD, Rahul Sengupta, national creative director

Accounts won Loop Mobile, Star Health & Allied Insurance, Hygrevar

Accounts lost None reported

In 2010, the agency produced campaigns for Visa, Standard Chartered, Loop Mobile and Nissan.  These are all positive stories.The big negative story is the adidas story. While TBWA India continues to be adidas’s lead agency partner globally and in India, adidas had brought O&M India on board to create the ‘Pure Cricket’ campaign during IPL.Other highlights include the  foray into the digital space (beyond Tequila)by announcing a partnership with Ignitee Digital Solutions to offer complete digital advertising solutions. In terms of business wins, the agency managed to bag the Loop Mobile account along with Hygrevar and Star Health & Allied InsuranceWhile Nirmalya Sen’s elevation was announced in late 2009, he took charge as managing director in Mumbai from January 2010. Kalyan Challapalli and Gayatri Gogote, who joined in 2009, moved out of the agency this year. Rajesh Sharma was roped in from Lowe Lintas in September to move into the post vacated by Challapalli. Attrition seems to be a continuing story. The Kochi office was closed in the year.  Still, a better year than last year from a ponds-shillings-pence perspective.

How Campaign India rates the agency: 5

How TBWA rates itself: 6

Tough but good year on most fronts. Better than yesterday. Not as good as tomorrow.