Everest Brand Solutions takes off with GoAir business

After having taken a break from aggressive communication, due to the recession, GoAir will be launching a 360-degree campaign soon.

The new year has been the harbinger of good news for Everest Brand Solutions. The agency has bagged the GoAir business. This is Everest's first big win since Dhunji Wadia took over as president.

The account is slated to be handled by the agency's Mumbai office.

The development is the result of a multi-agency pitch, a process that was initiated in December 2010. GoAir assessed around six agencies including the incumbent, Cliche Rebel. Presentations, it is believed, took place in December and January, and Everest Brand Solutions was finally selected.

Commenting on the development, Wadia says, "We are delighted to be GoAir's chosen agency. There is a wonderful wavelength match we have between the agency and the client. We are looking forward to take the brand to greater heights together."

Confirming the development, Rahul Deans, general manager, marketing, GoAir tells afaqs! that Everest fits best with the airline's scheme of things. He says, "We found Everest to be the most compatible, besides having the best pitch presentation. We were impressed by the way the agency translated the brief into their creative idea."

Deans says that hit by the the recession, GoAir had taken a break for a little over a year. However, with things looking up again, the airline is planning a large-scale 360-degree campaign that would be rolled out shortly.

"We were doing a lot of work in-house, besides also working with Cliche Rebel. We now want to associate with a large and professional agency to take our communication forward. While we are not planning to change things drastically, we are looking at more aggressive communication," says Deans.

GoAir, a few years ago, had appointed Bollywood actress Preity Zinta as the brand ambassador for the then recently launched airline, which at the time, claimed a five per cent share of the market. The development was part of the airline's efforts to beef up its brand awareness in the minds of the TG (target group). Soon after, GoAir launched a thematic nationwide campaign that floated the tagline 'Chalo India, Lets Fly Smart'. The campaign had also involved a complete website makeover which utilised interactive features and innovative marketing promotions.

The association with Zinta has ended though and Deans says that the airline stays undecided on the choice of an ambassador.

It may be recalled that Everest Brand Solutions was in the news recently when parent agency Rediffusion-Y&R underwent some significant senior level management changes. Mahesh Chauhan, group chief executive officer, put in his papers while D Rajappa, who was president of Everest Brand Solutions, slid into Chauhan's seat at Rediffusion to occupy the post.

For the record, GoAir, owned by Jehangir Wadia, is the aviation company of the Wadia Group. GoAir launched its operations in November 2005, as a low-fare carrier with the objective of providing very affordable, and yet comfortable air travel. The airline flies to fifteen destinations, with 700 weekly flights. The destinations include Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Cochin, Ahmedabad, Jammu, Srinagar, Guwahati, Bagdogra, Chandigarh, Goa, Jaipur, Nagpur, Nanded and Indore.