MUMBAI: Spice has appointed Ogilvy as its new creative agency for Spice Mobiles - its mobility businesses of handsets & devices, Spice Hotspot - telecom retail and Spice Digital - mobile VAS.

The appointment followed a multi-agency pitch involving agencies such as Lowe Lintas, FCBDraft / Ulka, Publicis, Bates 141, Everest, Capital and the incumbent agency Contract. The pitch process was kicked off in end-February and was concluded by mid-April.
 
Spice has been going through a transformational phase after the brand was refreshed by a London-based agency The Brand Union (TBU), in early 2009, defining a new manifesto and strategic direction. The thrust has since been to reinvigorate the brand in a market cluttered by the advent of new players. Thus, Spice decided to identify a partner with a deep understanding of market dynamics and to help the brand move to a higher growth trajectory.

Speaking on the development, Spice Global group president - global brand & marketing Vivek Bali, "We are very happy to be working with Ogilvy as our creative and strategic communications partner. The appointment of Ogilvy comes after a rigorous process which included evaluation of key communications metrics. We will continue to make substantial investments in our brand and focus on our essence of smart thinking, the core of our DNA." .
 
"I firmly believe that in our partnership, Ogilvy we will be able to leverage their strengths in strategic ideation, strong creative and market-wide impact," Bali added.

Adds Ogilvy India executive chairman & creative director South Asia Piyush Pandey, "We are happy to partner with a growing brand such as Spice, in which we see the potential of becoming a leading brand in the country, not just in its category. We are confident that we would be able to provide the depth of strategic and creative support to take the brand forward to the highest levels of value and equity."