Ogilvy India to handle Home Centre business for MENA region

The agency's Mumbai office will work on this account.

More conference calls and overseas trips are on the cards for Ogilvy Mumbai's key talent pool. The agency has won the creative duties for the home retail brand Home Centre in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This was a result of a multi-agency pitch that, interestingly enough, saw the participation of several creative agencies, all from India.

Indian agencies that have a strong global presence, it is said, are deemed better placed to provide long term brand ideas, as opposed to short term tactical campaigns, and deliver them globally, than are agencies in the MENA region.

About this win, Navin Talreja, president, Ogilvy, Mumbai and Kolkata, says, "This is a significant addition to our roster of international businesses (for example, Ponds) and work that we do for global markets from Ogilvy Mumbai. Coming on the back of our global recognition as 'Most Effective Agency Office Globally' in the 2012 Effie Effectiveness Index, this fuels our ambition to become the agency office for the world."

Ogilvy will now work to build a strong brand for Home Centre, one with a global voice that cuts across all markets in the West Asia and North Africa region, through a 360 degree brand campaign.

Rohit Bhatia, DGM, brand and marketing, Home Centre, adds, "Ogilvy is the name behind some of the most memorable ad campaigns for brands across diverse categories. After reviewing its work, it seemed to best understand our current business needs and was therefore our preferred choice."

Established in 1995 as a single store in Sharjah, UAE, Home Centre today has a network of over 80 stores and occupies over three million square feet of retail space. The retail brand offers furniture, furnishings, home accessories, bed and bath ranges, and kitchenware products. In the days ahead, the business will expand to newer markets in the Levant region, North Africa and CIS countries. Plans to open up to 12 new stores, within the same period, are also on the cards.