Tim Wheeler, President, International Division, Jockey and Shamir Genomal, Executive Director & Chief Strategy Officer, Page Industries highlight the trends that will define the brand’s growth in future
When Jockey first entered the Indian market in 1995, it literally changed the face of the innerwear segment in India. With revenues of Rs 2,000 crore in India last year and a consistent year-on-year growth rate of 19%, the brand has acquired as much as 16% of the organized innerwear market. Tim Wheeler, President, International Division, Jockey, explains that ‘Jockey or Nothing’ messaging has played a key role in building the brand in India: “The ‘Jockey or Nothing’ messaging has helped us build the premium innerwear category in India with the help of our licensee partners, Page Industries. The essence of our brand communication stays the same around the world but the messaging varies from market to market. In most other parts of the world, the messaging we use is ‘Show You’re Jockey’ emphasising that we created the category of underwear as we know it today. When you create a product category like innerwear, you put your name on it.”
According to a white paper by retail advisory firm Wazir Advisors in August 2016, the innerwear market in India was worth Rs 24,000 crore in 2015, making up 7.1% of the country’s total apparel market. The unorganized market accounts for over 50% of the innerwear market. In the organized market, Rupa has been the leading brand in the economy segment, while Jockey is currently the leading player in the premium segment. However, with brands such as Fruit of the Loom, Hanes and Van Heusen’s newly launched innerwear, what is Jockey’s strategy for India now? “We have a presence across 1,400 cities in the country with 370 exclusive outlets and 50,000 points of sale. India is our second largest market, after the US. Most often, our competition is with local brands that have a presence in a few cities but definitely cannot match the presence we have in the country. We will continue to reach out to the smaller markets and ensure that wherever the consumer wants Jockey, they can get Jockey,” says Wheeler.
Genomal believes that newer categories such as leisure-wear or active-wear are a natural extension of the innerwear category, and the brand’s growth will come from these new product lines, going by consumer demand. “We are creating designs that offer style and comfort, and our active-wear range includes boxers, shorts, tracks, t-shirts, vests and hoodies. Category-wise, 65% of our sales come from the innerwear category while 35% are from active loungewear.”
As far as advertising is concerned, Genomal adds that the brand’s approach is a 360 degree one. “TV and Outdoor are lead mediums that form the backbone for most of our campaigns. Digital and Print are used as amplifier mediums. In the recent times, Jockey has also invested in Radio, Magazine and Social Influencer campaigns. When we launched in the 1990s, we were selling our products in boxes but now we have them displayed in shelves and in store windows. Jockey’s focus on quality and marketing of its products has helped build its aspirational image, thereby giving us a definite edge in the premium innerwear market.”
christina.moniz @exchange4media.com
