NEW DELHI — Chinese smartphone brand Vivo Mobile has handed its India PR mandate to Archetype, amid rapid growth in the key market. 

Archetype takes on the assignment following a competitive review that featured several agencies. The company's PR duties were previously held by Weber Shandwick, which also counts a relationship with Vivo's sibling brand Oppo in China.

Since entering India in 2014, Vivo has grown consistently to take the third spot in the country's smartphone market last year, behind Xiaomi and Samsung. Significantly, Vivo grew by 96.5% in the fourth quarter of the year, overtaking Samsung to rank second during this period. 

"For us communications is vital to our growth and consumer connect strategy in India," said Nipun Marya, head of brand strategy at Vivo Mobile India.

Vivo's performance owes much to its offline focus and price cuts, which have helped it take leadership of the mid-premium segment.

"They are a leading smartphone player today with significant plans for the India market and we’re really excited at the scope and scale of this integrated, creative remit," added Archetype India MD Sunayna Malik.

The new business comes after Archetype rebranded from Text 100 last year.