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"We have been short-listed in quite a few major pitches and we are well on our way to winning at least Rs 50 crore worth of new business in the next few months."

Chennai , July 4

ADVERTISING agency R.K. Swamy BBDO has added Rs 100 crore of new business to its kitty in the first half of 2005. The new clients include Indian Airlines, India Tourism, IndusInd Bank, Videocon Home Appliances, Cognizant Technologies, Get It Yellow Pages and Mars Chocolates, according to a press release.

New business is also expected to flow from empanelment by State Bank of India, ONGC and Canara Bank. Another growth area will be the national HIV communications project from Unicef /National Aids Control Organisation, the new social and rural marketing communications for Hindustan Latex and a State-level HIV communication programme in Andhra Pradesh.

The agency's New Delhi office has been a major gainer from some of these wins. The agency's re-launched media wing, Media Direction, has won the media business of SBI Mutual Fund and Witco.

According to Ms Sangeetha Shetty, Executive Vice-President, almost all the business gains have been won against stiff competition. "We have won in virtually every major pitch, save a couple," she says.

Speaking to Business Line, Mr Srinivasan Swamy, CEO of the agency, said that the "most appropriate work the agency developed to address clients' specific needs" was what helped it make all these gains. Current billings stand at Rs 300 crore. The Mumbai office handles the largest amount of business, followed by the Delhi and Chennai offices, he said. When asked whether the agency had lost any accounts, he said, "Nothing of consequence," though he mentioned the loss of Tata Indicom over a year ago.

The R.K. Swamy group is developing R.K. Swamy as the brand for marketing communications and Hansa as the marketing services brand. Hansa offers market research services and technical support communications and brand consultancy for healthcare companies. Hansa OutSell, the out-of-home division, has clocked Rs 25-crore business in outdoor solutions in the first 10 months of its operations while another unit has won brand consultancy assignments for more than Rs one crore in just three months. Hansa also offers expertise for events and exhibitions and retail, among other areas.

"In R.K. Swamy BBDO itself, we have five key divisions: Media Direction, Social & Rural Communications Group, `Proximity India' specialising in CRM, Human Resources Services Group and the Pharma Services Group. All our initiatives have taken root and we are amongst the very few marketing communication companies with such a comprehensive array of services," said Mr Swamy.

The agency is poised to make further business additions in 2005. "We have been short-listed in quite a few major pitches and we are well on our way to winning at least Rs 50 crore worth of new business in the next few months," he added.

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