Soho Square wins Piaggio back; to handle two-wheeler brands Vespa and Aprilia

The account was won through a multi-agency pitch.

Soho Square has won the creative mandate for Vespa and Aprilia, the two-wheeler brands from automotive company Piaggio. The account was won following a multi-agency pitch.

The agency had earlier re-launched Vespa in India. However, due to a global re-alignment the account had to be moved. The Piaggio India team wanted a local agency this time, one which had a deep understanding of the Indian market, which is what led them to assign the creative duties for two of its brands to Soho Square.

Though the pitch was only meant for the Aprilia account, the Piaggio management decided to award the entire two-wheeler business, including Vespa, to Soho Square, says the company in a press release.

The agency's account win comes on the back of the recently acquired account of Nicotex - Cipla's brand of smoking cessation gum.

Shashank Lanjekar, senior vice-president, strategic planning, Soho Square, Mumbai, shares, "Vespa is a strong global brand. In India, too, it has quite a long heritage. Aprilia, on the other hand, is relatively unknown, although it is very famous globally. Our challenge will be to capitalise on the strengths of either one, and carve a clear niche for ourselves. I am glad that Piaggio has placed its trust in us.”

Commenting on the win, Ashish Yakhmi, vice-president and head, marketing, Piaggio Vehicles, says, "After several meetings with multiple agencies, we realised that not only is Soho Square the best fit for our brands, it has the necessary skillset to achieve our strategic objectives in India as well.”

Samrat Bedi, head of office, Soho Square, Mumbai, adds, "This is a homecoming of sorts. We were well and truly disappointed when Vespa moved out two years ago. More than the fact that this is a big win, we are elated to have Piaggio back in the fold.”

Soho Square is a known name in the auto segment, having launched Tata Motors' new 'Made Of Great' philosophy with brand ambassador Lionel Messi. It also handled the launch of Tata Tiago earlier this year. The agency also handles brand duties for YES Bank, Bisleri, and Franklin Templeton among others.