The Hindu Business Line : IB&W gets back Skoda account

SKODA Auto India Ltd has shifted its advertising account from Orchard Advertising to IB&W Communications in Mumbai. The account is estimated between Rs 7 crore and Rs 8 crore. Orchard Advertising had been handling the account for the past eight months, prior to which it was with IB&W, an indigenous agency.

Speaking to Business Line, Mr Bipin Datar, GM Sales & Marketing, Skoda Auto India Ltd, said: "IB&W had been handling our account even before we made an entry into the Indian market.

We were trying to get some new ideas from a new agency but realised the initial creative ideas were better and thus we stepped back to our original agency".

Besides, its media-buying account, which was shifted to Starcom for the same period, is back with the media buying division of IB&W.

The Rs 480-crore Aurangabad-based subsidiary company belonging to the parent company of Volkswagon, Skoda has been present in the Indian market with car brands such as Octavia and Laurin & Klement. There are plans of launching a third brand — Superb — in the super premium segment.

Added Mr Ganesh Subramaniam, Vice-President, IB&W Communications, "Skoda as a brand has always been obsessed about quality and we have been stressing on the same in our campaigns." For instance, in the past the agency has come up with baselines such as, "A screw is not the most important part of car. That is why we have 84 tests for it".