Indiantelevision.com Team

(30 August 2007 3:00 pm)

BANGALORE: LMG Brands, which has the exclusive rights to sell the Italian sportwear apparel brand ‘Kappa’ in India, has kicked off its latest initiative titled ‘Do the Kappa’ campaign.

To create awareness of the brand, LMG roped in celebrities from different walks of life to 'Do the Kappa.' Adman and consultant Harish Bijoor and his wife Nina, badminton ace Prakash Padukone and his daughter Anisha, RJ’s Chaitnaya Hegde (once with Radio City, now with Worldspace) and Sheetal Iyer are some the high profile people that joined in to promote the brand.

‘Omni,’ the globally recognized logo for Kappa, was created four decades ago when a photographer got a picture of a couple sitting back to back thus forming the brand logo. 'Do the Kappa' initiative represents the same concept – a man and a woman sitting with their backs touching.

LMG Brands executive director Fazale A Naqvi said, “The underlying thought is to create a unique concept with our patrons and engage them with the brand in an innovative manner.”

Naqvi revealed that LMG plans to grow the ‘Kappa’ retail outlets to 40 and have more presence in other shop in shop chains by the end of 2008.

Today the brand is sold in thirteen stores and through the ‘Lifestyle’ and ‘Central’ chains in India.

Marketing initiatives are presently limited to billboards in locations close to the outlets, and direct mailers, including by email. These initiatives have helped sales grow at around 30 per cent per month since the Kappa brand was first launched thirteen months ago.

Marketing spends at present are around 10 per cent of sales according to Naqvi. In India, Kappa has been sponsoring Golf and the Indian Rugby team.

LMG also markets other international brands in India, casual wear - Bossini, Springfield , German footwear brand ‘Josef Seibel’ to name a few. Internet purchases of these branded products will be enabled in a month or so according to Naqvi.