Grey Delhi zooms off with Honda Brio

Brio is expected to be launched around September.

The gruelling pitch battle for the Honda Brio business is over and Grey Delhi has grabbed the account. The agency was informed about the win during last week.

Though Grey still seems to be very tight-lipped on the development, informed sources have confirmed the same to afaqs!.

The pitch process, which began in November 2010, saw the participation of the other roster agencies of Honda Siel Cars India. Honda Jazz is handled by Meridian Communications, Delhi, while Dentsu Marcom handles all the other car brands under the Honda umbrella, including Accord, Civic and City.

The pitch process comprised two main rounds. The first round, which was held in December 2010, tested the participating agencies on their strategising prowess, while the second round, held in mid-January, centred on the creative abilities of the agencies.

Grey's win has a lot to do with its performance in the first round. It is learnt that Grey won the business because of the effort it put in understanding the target consumers of the upcoming car. The hatchback offering, priced under Rs 5 lakh, is to be launched keeping the small town (Tier 2 and Tier 3) consumers in mind. The agency had showcased a deep understanding of this consumer segment during the pitch process.

Brio is expected to be launched in September 2011. It will be in direct competition with Maruti and Hyundai's offerings in the segment.

For the record, HSCI is a joint venture (JV) between Honda Motors, Japan and Siel, a Siddharth Shriram Group company.