Campaign India Agency Report Card 2011: LG Ad

Type of agency: Advertising

Ownership: Independent 

Key personnel: Hyung June Kim, managing director, Nitin Makdani, business head, Samir Datar, GM – client servicing, Koustuv Chatterjee, creative partner, Rajat Mukherjee, CD, Raj Mohanty, GM – BTL and Outdoor

Accounts won: Home Entertainment business of LG Electronics

Accounts lost: None reported

The Korea-based advertising agency that set up base in India last year, has won a couple of key businesses of LG Electronics, including the entire home entertainment business this year. The agency has been beefing up its senior management with the appointments of Samir Datar as general manager – client servicing, Rajat Mukherjee as creative director and Koustuv Chatterjee as creative partner. Chatterjee replaced the position left vacant by Dipansu Saha who had joined in December 2010.  Another major development is the talks doing rounds about WPP’s interest in increasing its stakes in the agency in 2012. Overall, the agency had a quiet period with no significant business wins other than the business win from LG and a few campaigns for the electronics brand.
How Campaign India rates the agency: 4

How LG Ad rates itself: 7
After starting the India operations in 2010, the agency consolidated in 2011 with organic growth with the LG account. The billings and the revenues more than doubled in the year. The team strength went up from 35 in 2010 to 45 in 2011.

Many key people joined the agency, at the beginning of the year, which included sauve servicing cum planner Samir Datar with over 19 years of experience,  andVishal Chemyong and Rajat Mukherjee as creative directors. Recently, highly awarded Koustuv Chatterjee, joined in as creative partner to strengthen the team. During the year, Dipansu Saha, the creative head moved on.

It’s been a good year for the agency with extensive consolidation of the LG business across integrated marketing communication expertise that is our core strength. With minimal top management changes, the agency is planning to develop a strong culture that helps retain talent and provide consistency across all the business it handles.

New campaigns for LG air conditioners and microwave ovens were the highlight of the year on the ATL front. The agency handled new product launches across categories. The design team, created 150 new brand shops, while renovating and maintaining 400 others. The BTL division managed the new fixtures and in-shop management across the country. The OOH division managed the outdoor services, besides the exclusive massive visibility at newly opened T-3 terminal at IG Airport, New Delhi. The agency is now poised to scout for new client in non-competing categories.