Elephant Delhi wins the creative mandate for Delhi Duty Free

The agency won the business following a creative pitch that included 11 other agencies such as Grasshopper, JWT, Ogilvy, and many more. The size of the account is estimated to be worth between Rs 12-15 crore.

Elephant Delhi (earlier known as Brand Elephant Planet) has won the creative duties of Delhi Duty Free Services (DDFS), the duty free retail operator at the new Terminal 3 of Indira Gandhi International Airport. The size of the account is estimated to be worth between Rs 12-15 crore.

Confirming the news, Abhijit Das, head, marketing, Delhi Duty Free Services, says, "Amongst all the ideas presented, we really liked the creative strategy drawn by Elephant Delhi. This is the first time we got an agency officially on board as we want to build a strong brand connection with the consumers. "

Prior to Elephant Delhi, the creative duty was handled by a small agency on project basis.

In December 2010, the retail operator had called for a multi-agency creative pitch, where 12 agencies including Grasshopper, JWT, Ogilvy, and many more participated. Initially, the retail operator was supposed to finalise an agency by the end of January, 2011. However, it took time for the retail operator to reach a conclusion, as the scale of the pitch was large.

Anjan Roy, director, Elephant New Delhi, says, "In the initial meetings it was our approach to create a brand experience around the DDFS brand that resonated well with the stakeholders. In today's context, it is essential for a dynamic luxury retail brand to conduct itself with stature and vitality -- which defines the brand experience. This is incremental to what can be achieved by a traditional mass media mindset. It is this approach that we are working towards together."

The agency will work on various campaigns that will be led by print, online, direct marketing, and some BTL (below the line) activities.

Last year, at the same time, DDFS had also announced the hunt for another agency for visual merchandising. The retail operator is yet to finalise an agency for it as the pitch process is still going on.

For the record, DDFS is a joint-venture company between Delhi International Airport (DIAL), Indian Duty Free Services (IDFS), and Aer Rianta International (ARI). It is the single largest duty free retail operator in India at T3, the sixth largest airport in the world, with a capacity to handle 34 million passengers every year. Spread across 30,000 square meters, DDFS offers an extensive range of products across all categories, including perfumes, cosmetics, liquor, tobacco, confectionery and luxury brands.