Soho Square wins H&R Johnson account

The agency's Mumbai team will work on this business. The development is in line with the brand's growth plans in India in the days ahead.

Soho Square has been handed the H&R Johnson business including tiles, bathrooms, kitchens and marble and quartz. The agency's Mumbai team will work on this business. The development is in line with the brand's growth plans in India in the days ahead.

Samrat Bedi, head of office, Soho Square, Mumbai, says in a press note, "H&R Johnson is a household name in this category and being associated with this brand makes this win special." He adds that the brand has ambitious plans in India.

According to Sushil Matey, chief operating officer, emerging business and marketing, H&R Johnson India, it was the team's "passion" and "experience" that helped it clinch the account.

It may be recalled that in November 2012, H&R Johnson announced the consolidation of all its existing brands under its flagship brand identity, Johnson; all its existing tile brands and product lines, including Marbonite and Endura, were attached to the flagship brand identity and re-branded as Johnson Marbonite and Johnson Endura, respectively.

This 'One Brand Strategy' was implemented in order to enable the company to engage its corporate project clients and the marketplace with a single brand throughout the Indian sub-continent. This unified identity was communicated largely through above the line, below the line and e-marketing initiatives, including social media activations.

Mohit Ahuja, vice-president, account management, Soho Square, Mumbai, claims the win is an appealing one for the agency, particularly from a portfolio point of view. "In the homes and infrastructure category, we already have a realty major brand and a water-proofing solutions brand. The H&R Johnson products strengthen this segment for us," he says.

Last month, afaqs! reported that Ogilvy India's sister concern Meridian Communications was being rebranded as Soho Square, after merging with the international agency of the same name, which is a part of the WPP Group. Since then, the three branches of Meridian, in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi, have been operating as independent boutique agencies under this banner.

The heads of all three agencies now report to Piyush Pandey, executive chairman and creative director, Ogilvy & Mather India and South Asia. This change was a part of the agency foraying into the international market and was accompanied by a logo revamp as well.

Established in 1958, H&R Johnson (India) is a division of Prism Cement. The company has a pan-India distribution network comprising more than 54 modern retail stores, 1,200 dealers, 15,000 sub-dealers and a large network of retail franchisees.

In the last few years, H&R Johnson (India) has diversified into various other home solutions businesses like Johnson bathroom products, Johnson Cristal (engineered marble and quartz), Johnson Kitchens (modular kitchens) and Johnson Woodenza (wooden flooring).