South African Tourism appoints DDB MudraMax

The agency, which won the account in a multi-agency pitch, will be responsible for the 2013-4 outdoor campaign which goes live in January 2014

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Mumbai | December 4, 2013

South African Tourism has appointed DDB MudraMax as its outdoor advertising partner in its destination brand building efforts in India. The agency will be responsible for the 2013-4 campaign which goes live in January 2014.

An agency pitch was undertaken in August 2013, and saw participation from 12 leading creative and media buying agencies. A comprehensive campaign brief was shared with the agencies in July 2013 and were given more than a month to present their creative plan.  After several rounds of rigorous evaluation of all the proposals, DDB MudraMax was chosen as the preferred partner by South African Tourism.

Hanneli Slabber

Hanneli Slabber, Country Manager, South African Tourism, said, “We are pleased to appoint DDB MudraMax as our partner in India. Given the importance of Indian market in our global tourism growth strategy, we were scouting for an agency that showcases the best understanding of South Africa as a holiday destination, brings forth in-depth market knowledge and consumer understanding, besides demonstrating commitment to extend a mutually beneficial long-term partnership with us. We definitely saw a stiff competition amongst the participating agencies as everyone came up with exciting proposals making it tough for us to choose the best. DDB MudraMax was declared the winner as they provided the most innovative and compelling ideas in addition to showcasing their team strength and expertise that can support South African Tourism's brand building and marketing requirements across our key markets and audiences.”

Ian Utermohlen, Global Manager Marketing & Advertising, South African Tourism, also present for the pitch, added, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the participating agencies for their interest in partnering with South African Tourism. We truly appreciate the time and effort that they have invested in this pitch process. The entire course of multiple agency pitch was very impressive. Witnessing the fresh thoughts and creative approach suggested by the participating agencies proved to be a great learning for us too. By investing in marketing and publicity initiatives such as this extensive and exciting outdoor advertising campaign, we hope to encourage Indian travellers to visit and experience the beautiful country of South Africa.”

Mandeep Malhotra, President, DDB MudraMax – OOH, Experiential and Retail, said, “I'm extremely happy to be partnering with South African Tourism to help promote their tourism plans and expand their strategy to the outdoor market, in India. The team comprising Aneil Deepak, Vijay Jain and Raza Syed are excited to be working on the brand and we're sure to release some path-breaking innovations for SAT in the coming months.”

Over the years, South African Tourism has witnessed a tremendous increase in Indian tourist arrivals to South Africa – 59,161 Indian tourists visited South Africa from January 2013 to June 2013 which is an increase of 11 per cent. In partnership with DDB MudraMax, the tourism board hopes to roll out innovative and exciting outdoor, cinema and TVC campaigns to position South Africa as the most preferred destination among potential Indian travellers besides extending their brand marketing outreach to a larger mix of traveler segments across key markets.

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