McCann Worldgroup India has won the global creative mandate of Air India that involves revamping the advertising and communication of the heritage airline brand. The multi-agency pitch process took several months.
The agency will develop a new brand platform and develop a comprehensive range of multi-channel marketing communication.
Commenting on the development, Nipun Aggarwal, chief commercial and transformation officer, Air India, said, “We are building Air India as a ‘Global Airline with an Indian Heart’. This is a brand that is close to the heart of flyers around the world, and the new Air India will be a manifestation of the aspirations of the global Indian. With McCann Worldgroup as a partner, we expect to transform the brand into one of the most admired and trusted brands in India and overseas.”
Prasoon Joshi, CEO and CCO at McCann Worldgroup India and chairman, Asia Pacific, led the pitch alongside a dedicated team of local and global partners.
On winning the account, Joshi said, “Air India is a brand that inspires us, and we are excited to partner with them as they chart a new course. Our McCann Global CEO, Daryl Lee, has genuinely supported and guided us. Also, support and input came in from Harjot Singh ( Global CSO) and John Wright who were an integral part of the pitch along with the stellar senior management colleagues Jitender Dabas, Alok Lall, Ashish Chakravarty, and their teams. We look forward to collaborating with Air India and offering the best-in-class strategic and creative services that build on and take the brand to newer heights,” Joshi said.
The development comes as the Tata Group is gearing up to consolidate its entire airline business under Air India. Since Tata bought Air India for Rs 18,000 crore as part of government disinvestment in 2021, the plan has been to merge all its aviation brands under that name.
The merger of Vistara and Air India will be a multiple-step process and will be subject to various regulatory approvals. According to media reports, the company is aiming to wrap up the consolidation process by 2024.
Air India will first complete the merger of AirAsia India with Air India Express by the end of 2023. In November 2022, Air India announced that it has signed agreements to complete the acquisition of 100 percent shareholding in AirAsia India.
In 2022, the airline company also hired former MakeMyTrip executive Sunil Suresh as its chief marketing officer. Seasoned marketer Colin Neubronner, who has worked with brands like Singapore Airlines and Jet Airways also joined the company’s brand team.
Air India’s transformation plan is titled “Vihaan.AI”, which in Sanskrit signifies the dawn of a new era, with identified objectives for Air India over the next 5 years.
Air India has gone through a tumultuous journey, scaling new highs till the 1970s when it was looked up to by other airlines, having even trained the Singapore Airlines staff. Its brand mascot, the Maharajah, once was a metaphor for Air India service—one could expect to be treated like royalty. However, once JRD Tata, the founder and then still chairman of Air India, was ingloriously removed from the chairman’s role, on February 1, 1978, the fateful fall of the airline started. Despite its multiple shortfalls in terms of lack of high-quality in-flight service, aircraft shortcomings and lack of technology advancement (such as on-board entertainment), Air India still manages to piggyback on its glory days, said brand experts.
More recently, the airline was caught in multiple scandals involving passengers who misbehaved on international flights including the infamous PeeGate.
Read more: Tata Group’s Air India Transformation Plan: Brand makeover and advertising activities speed up