With this re-arrangement, Rediffusion DY&R has bagged products that constitute 80 per cent of the market for Maruti vehicles. The agency handles Maruti 800, Omni, Gypsy and now, also the Zen.
MUL managing director Jagdish Khattar said the company plans to reshuffle its products with its four advertising agencies -- Rediffusion DY&R, Capital, Lintas and Siesta Saatchi & Saatchi.
"However, as of today, Zen is with Lintas Lowe & Partners," Khattar said on Monday.
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However, sources in both Rediffusion DY&R and Lintas confirmed that the Zen account has now gone to Rediffusion. However, no official comment from either of the agencies was available.
Rediffusion is likely to re-position Zen, though the agency officials did not give details of the new marketing strategy or MUL's brief on the Zen.
Lintas currently handles ad campaigns for three Maruti products --Alto, Esteem, and Baleno. The agency had bagged the Alto account three weeks back.
According to market sources, MUL plans to launch Alto in September-end. The company is likely to start the production of Alto in the first week of October with the start of a third shift at its third plant in Gurgaon.
Incidentally, MUL had invited fresh bids for all its products from its four advertising agencies around 20 days back. The exercise also was aimed at appointing an agency for the Alto. Though most products have stayed with their respective agencies, only Zen has been taken away from Lintas and given Rediffusion.
While Siesta Saatchi & Saatchi handles Wagon R, Capital does the corporate advertisements for Maruti.