MUMBAI: Maruti Suzuki has signed actor R Madhavan as brand ambassador of Wagon R for a period of one year. This is the first time that Wagon R has roped in a brand ambassador.

Maruti Suzuki chief general manager marketing Shashank Srivastava said, "To reinstate Wagon R’s position as leader in its segment, we brought on board a brand ambassador with whom our target group, urban upper middle and middle class families, could connect. Madhavan is well known across the country and is not divided as a face of the North or the South and this was an important fact, which led us to choose him. Additionally, he being a superstar in the South will only add to the brand’s popularity in the South Indian markets."

The creative agency for Wagon R is Percept/H. The agency will launch an ad campaign featuring the actor with the tag line ‘Smart ideas lead the world.’

"A 360 degree campaign will break mid next week. This will include TVC, radio, print, OOH and digital media. Also, we will be doing a lot of on-ground activities," says Percept/H vice president Amitabh Lahiri.

On the films’ front, Madhavan is gearing up for two releases like Rajkumar Hirani’s 3 Idiots that stars Aamir Khan, Sharman Joshi and Kareena Kapoor along with Leena Yadav’s Teen Patti with Amitabh Bachchan and Sir Ben Kingsley.