It is the wedding season, and making the most of it is brand Manyavar, which specializes in ethnic wear.Manyavar has hit it off with its ‘Aadha Aadha’ ad campaign, featuring brand ambassador Virat Kohli, which promotes sharing of wedding expenses by families of both bride and groom. Ajay Modi, Director, Manyavar tells us about the brand’s marketing strategy and expansion plans
BY NEETA NAIR
Q] What was the insight behind the latest campaign for Manyavar starring Virat Kohli and the target audience for it?
In the latest campaign, ‘Adorn a New Kurta for New Beginnings in your life’, brand Manyavar aims to inspire people to celebrate every occasion - be it weddings, festivals or even those small yet beautiful moments of life that are usually overlooked by us. Manyavar aims to bring back the charm of the good old days when every new occasion was full of excitement. We are attempting to keep the tradition alive and re-establish the connect with Indian culture by initiating the concept of a new beginning in a kurta. The campaign brings about a feeling of positivity and celebration. While we are more focused on the youth, our range is targeted at the entire family.
Q] What is the marketing mix for the campaign and which medium is the focus of your ad spends?
We are heavy on Outdoor and Print. On the Digital front, we have taken major strides with a 360-degree approach which includes Television. But even now, in-theatre advertising, Outdoor & Print are our major focus. Television is still not a mainstream media channel for us.
Q] What are you doing to connect with your consumer in the Digital space? How are the different initiatives working out in terms of reach?
Aimed at creating awareness and also to aid sales acquisitions, we have done various campaigns in the past for festivals, CSR (Manas), video promotions, etc. We have released Digital media campaigns in association with our offline campaigns to reach out to the Digital audience and communicate on new store openings, awards, etc. We also do product promotion campaigns by guiding the consumers to our e-commerce website. Apart from this, regular social media activities are carried out to maintain brand presence and recall.
Q] You recently appointed Virat Kohli as your brand ambassador, why did you pick a cricketer to endorse wedding wear?
Manyavar has always believed in breaking the stereotype through new ideas and concepts, so when it came to choosing our brand ambassador, we did the same. Hence, it is Virat Kohli, one of the biggest names in Indian sports. Kohli is a hero on and off the field who connects with Indian youth and has earned accolades and respect through his hard work and brilliant performance - a philosophy which brand Manyavar stands for. Also, Kohli is the most relatable figure for the audience that we are targeting.
Q] You came up with the progressive campaign ‘Aadha Aadha’ just ahead of the wedding season, what kind of response has it got?
It is a new concept and we have roped in youth icon Virat Kohli to convey the message of ‘Aadha Aadha’ to youngsters across the country. It highlights that the essence of marriage is all about sharing, and this should start right from the expense of the wedding function between the bride’s and the groom’s sides. The ad questions the age-old concept that wedding functions should be organized and financed by the bride’s family only. Manyavar is the leading men’s ethnic wear brand in the country associated strongly with weddings. Therefore, we felt we could use our brand as a platform to highlight that times are changing and youngsters today are more open to the idea of sharing, right from the expenses of the wedding. This has really been appreciated by the audience and received a great response.
Q] Currently you enjoy 30% market-share in men's celebration wear, what is the target for the upcoming year?
Manyavar is the pioneer in the segment. The market-share of Manyavar in the ethnic wear category of men is growing by 20-25% annually. We are the leading player in men’s ethnic wear category and will continue to maintain our leadership.
Q] Which are the strong markets for the brand?
We are spread across six countries with presence in 166 cities in India. In the Indian market, the North & South are the strong regions for Manyavar.
Q] You have recently opened stores in the US and Europe... what are the other markets you are looking to expand to?
Timeless and iconic attire by Manyavar cemented its reputation across the world with a commanding retail presence of 400+ stores including 60 flagship and 12 international stores. We are considering a few more markets but can’t reveal much on that front now.
Q] What kind of challenges does the brand face in India today?
The presence of competitors in the unorganized sector is prevalent without any strict adherence to cost compliance. Manyavar, on the other hand, is under the organized sector with a mandate of compliance to policies running a business with full control of resources. We have actually converted this challenge as an advantage for us as compliance to cost and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) has helped in building a robust framework, thereby delivering the same quality of service in India and abroad.
Q] How does the brand approach Tier II and Tier III markets? Do you compartmentalize your strategy for rural and urban audiences?
The broad objective always remains the same, but we definitely have a slightly different approach when it comes to Tier II and Tier III markets. On the basis of past activities, we have learnt that in small cities, van activities, cable TV ads, leaflets ans wall wraps play an important role along with Outdoor and Print campaigns which we necessarily opt for Tier I and Tier II cities.
Q] What are your efforts to increase Manyavar’s footprint across the country and will you be looking at other categories too?
This year, we launched the brand Mohey which offers celebration wear for women. The label is backed by years of collective experience, values and passion. Handpicked lehengas, sarees, suits and gowns are now available at 40 Mohey stores. Whatever be the occasion, culture or geography, now Mohey too will join the celebration. We mostly have single stores with both Mohey and Manyavar. We want to provide our customers with a delightful experience where they can shop for their entire family under one roof. We have roped in Aditi Hydari to endorse the brand.
Q] What differentiates Manyavar and Mohey from competitors?
Mohey-Manyavar has conquered the hearts of every savvy Indian, as well as men across the world. This is manifested by around 450 stores worldwide. Mohey-Manyavar wisely amalgamates the elements of class and comfort into rich-looking outfits, leaving the bride and groom elated and with memories that last forever. Mohey-Manyavar has something for everyone in the family.
Q] Tell us a little about Manyavar’s marketing strategy and how it has evolved over the years.
Manyavar has been one of those rare brands, which started advertising through theatres in the year 2014 and then went on to take some major strides in terms of 360-degree marketing. In 2015, we continued to promote our products through theatre and outdoor advertising but in 2016, there have been a couple of Television ads, Outdoor, Print and Digital ads featuring our new brand ambassador Virat Kohli, the most recent being 'Aadha Aadha' and ‘New Beginnings’.
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