Canon aims to click with Webchutney

The digital agency will look after Canon's CRM portal www.canon.co.in/edge/, the Canon website, and control the social media activities on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Canon, a manufacturer of photographic and digital imaging solutions has handed over its digital mandate to Webchutney . The digital agency will look after its customer relationship management(CRM) portal www.canon.co.in/edge/, the Canon website as well as control its social media activities on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Webchutney was handed over the duties after Canon invited three digital agencies for the pitch, the process for which started in January.

Earlier, Canon had the two agencies Quasar and Netcarrot looking after the Canon website and the CRM portal, respectively. With the aim to consolidate its digital business, Canon decided to have only one agency taking care of all its digital duties.

Confirming the news, Alok Bharadwaj, senior vice-president, Canon India, says, "There is a higher level of expertise and experience we have seen in Webchutney . They surely have a better and deep understanding of content management. As they have multiple involvement in various activities, the agency will surely help us in leveraging costs."

The agency is expected to make the CRM portal, a community for camera lovers and photographers, more active and live among its members. They are expected to increase the number of members from the current one lakh to five lakh, while at the same time, build a strong relationship with them.

"We want the agency to help increase the involvement of the members through various engagements," adds Bharadwaj.

Canon has decided to go live on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for the first time.

"We were not present on these platforms before. We now want our presence to be felt here," mentions Bharadwaj.

Discussing the reason for choosing Webchutney over other agencies, Bharadwaj says, "Webchutney 's clarity and understanding of what we are looking at is much better. They impressed us through a very clear and brief presentation, and showcased a deep understanding of the market."

This year, the total ad spends for Canon would be Rs 100 crore, which will include both portal advertising and promotional activities. The digital spends are estimated to be Rs 2 crore.

For the record, Canon has two incumbent agencies, which look after its creative duties -- Dentsu Marcom and Percept/H. This year, Percept/H is handling the duties.