GlaxoSmithKline scouts for a creative partner for Iodex

The healthcare company has called for a multi-agency pitch in Delhi. The size of the account is said to be worth Rs 10-15 crore.

GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare (GSKCH), the consumer products division of GlaxoSmithKline India, is on the lookout for a creative partner for its pain-relief brand, Iodex. The company has called for a multi-agency creative pitch in Delhi. So far, the pitch has witnessed participation from agencies such as Grey, TBWA/Anthem, Taproot, Publicis India, Ogilvy, and JWT.

The size of the account is said to be around Rs 10-15 crore.

Reliable sources close to the development on condition of anonymity have confirmed the news to afaqs!.

JWT is the incumbent agency on the business; the media duties for the brand are being handled by the GroupM-agency Mindshare. JWT has handled Iodex for decades and is one of the longest associations that a brand has had with an agency.

It was only in between that the business had moved to Bates (then Bates Enterprise) for a few years, which JWT got back in 2006.

In 2010, JWT (Delhi) had conceptualised a television campaign for the launch of Iodex's new offering Headfast. The TV commercial was crafted with the aim to re-position Iodex as an ointment that works 'above the neck', as well.

In 2003, GSKCH, as part of an overall consolidation process, appointed Mindshare as its media agency of record for brands including Horlicks (Junior Horlicks, Mother's Special and Horlicks biscuits), Boost, Viva, Maltova, Eno, Crocin, Aquafresh (toothpaste and toothbrush), and Iodex. The company had called for a multi-agency pitch in November 2002.

For the record, GSK was launched in India in 1919. The company later launched Iodex Power ointment in 1998, and re-launched the brand in April 2004.

In 2002, GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals handed over the promotion, marketing and distribution of Iodex to its sister firm, SmithKline Beecham Consumer Healthcare.