BPN retains UBI's media business

The agency fought closely with ZO, Lodestar, Havas Worldwide and Madison to win the account, which will be serviced by BPN's Mumbai office.

IPG Mediabrands' media agency BPN (Brand Programming Network) has retained Union Bank of India's media business.

The agency won the account after a closely fought pitch conducted by Spatial Access.

As per the sources, 20 agencies had applied for the tender, of which five - ZenithOptimedia, Lodestar, Havas Worldwide, BPN and Madison - were selected to pitch.

BPN had won the account three years ago for a period of two years; subsequently, the client extended the services of the agency for another year. This time around, BPN has won the account for three years.

According to Suresh Balakrishna, CEO, BPN, the account is worth Rs 100 crore. This includes the media mix across categories -TV, newspapers, radio, on-ground activations (fairs) and digital.

"UBI is trying to modernise and hence we will be using digital a lot. The client is gearing for product revamp, SME (small and medium sized enterprises) and retail loans. The focus for us will be to help the company in evolving its business. Because of the competitive scenario, while UBI is committed to offering better services and tweaking the offerings, we are going to re-tweak our media mix accordingly," Balakrishna adds.

Earlier, the agency has also handled HSBC's account in the banking and finance category.

UBI's creative duties are largely handled by the Mudra Group.

For the record, BPN is IPG Mediabrands' third agency (after Lodestar UM and Lintas Initiative), launched in India in 2012.

BPN caters to the conventional, digital as well as outdoor media needs of the clients. It also offers training and consultancy services to media houses, along with branded content. The consultancy services are related to issues like brand strategy, sales strategy and brand positioning.

The agency recently won the media duties of Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation - MILMA. Besides, the agency has also handled accounts like Henkel, Yepme.com, OCL and Jayalakshmi Silks.