Zespri appoints PointNine Lintas as omni-channel agency for India

The agency is already developing a campaign to launch the new season of the band's Sungold Kiwifruit.

Zespri, a Global marketer of Kiwifruit, has appointed omni-channel creative agency PointNine Lintas for its Indian market. The agency will be putting together a team to create a digital-first roadmap for the category in the Indian market. The agency's team, led by its digital division, LinTeractive, will manage the account. The mandate includes brand planning, creative and media (including digital and social).

Gavin Gomes, regional marketing manager, Zespri - Middle East, India & Africa, says, "Our ambition is to get people to buy into the super fruit properties of Zespri Kiwifruit. They need to start seeing it as part of their everyday repertoire rather than something that would be consumed occasionally. We found the holistic approach of PointNine Lintas compelling and felt they were the right partners to help us create a roadmap for Zespri."

L to R: Vikas Mehta and Sumanta Ganguly

The agency is working closely with the management of Zespri to create a brand campaign for the season's launch of Zespri Kiwifruit.

Commenting on the win, Vikas Mehta, CEO - PointNine Lintas, says, "While sales have been increasing steadily, Kiwifruit is yet to become a habit for Indians. A great product in a nascent category presents a market development opportunity for Zespri. We are delighted to collaborate with them in unlocking this category's potential. To enter the fruit-basket, we have to make Kiwifruit a part of urban popular culture."

Sumanta Ganguly, national director, Digital - PointNine Lintas, says, "The task of creating a super-fruit category in India allows us to deploy our intervention-planning approach with multiple user personas. It is a great opportunity to mass-personalise communication, conversations and content; all seamlessly working with each other to make Zespri Kiwifruit a part of user vocabulary."

From the perspective of a market development framework, the aim is to drive penetration of Zespri Kiwifruit by building brand awareness. The agency is currently developing a campaign to launch the new season of Zespri Sungold Kiwifruit and Zespri Green, which are set to hit the market later this month.