Dentsu Group bags creative duties of NourishCo

Taproot and Dentsu Marcom will for the first time work together on the beverage brand, which is a joint venture between Tata Global Beverages and PepsiCo India.

NourishCo Beverages, a joint venture between Tata Global Beverages and PepsiCo India, has appointed Taproot India and Dentsu Marcom to handle its creative duties. The Dentsu Group-owned companies won the account in a multi-agency pitch.

Besides Dentsu, Draftfcb Ulka and Bates, the incumbent agency, Rediffusion-Y&R, was also in the fray.

The agencies will be responsible for the creatives of NourishCo's three brands - Tata Gluco + (a glucose-based drink), Himalayan Natural Mineral Water and Tata Water Plus (nutrient-infused water).

Pratik Pota, chief executive officer and managing director, NourishCo Beverages, pats the Dentsu-Taproot combine on the back, saying that "it understood our brief and strategic approach at the pitch process."

Rohit Ohri, executive chairman, Dentsu India Group, says, "This is a very important win for us on many counts since it's the first pitch where Taproot and a Dentsu group company have collaborated."

He also sees this strengthening Dentsu group's relationship with PepsiCo India.

Agnello Dias, founder, Taproot agrees with Ohri and adds that the combined creative and planning strengths of the agencies will enable them to explore new ways to communicate the brand promise of 'Nutrient Water'. The brand had assigned its media duties to Mindshare last year.

NourishCo was set up in 2010; it offers non-carbonated beverages in India and the international market. The brand's Tata Water Plus, which was launched in Tamil Nadu in February this year (perhaps because southern India comprises more than half of the total market of bottled water), claims to be the country's first nutrient water. It is offered in two varieties, zinc and chromium, which claim to boost immunity and health.

It is interesting to note how the two conglomerates, both of which offer beverage brands, have joined hands to bring a premium beverage brand into the market. The Tata Group says that the joint venture will take advantage of PepsiCo's wide sales and distribution expertise which includes its strong network in hotels, restaurants and cafes, the backbone of any premium beverage brand.

The pricing of the product is also interesting; while Tata Water + is priced at Rs 16 for a 750 ml bottle, other bottled water brands such as PepsiCo's Acquafina and Parle Group's Bisleri cost between Rs 15-18 for one litre, indicating PepsiCo's attempt to foray into a higher priced segment in the category on the back of the trust that the Tata name inspires.

The market for bottled water in India (organised and unorganised) is valued at Rs 8,000-Rs 10,000 crore.