Brands
Havells India ropes in Alia Bhatt as brand ambassador for Standard
MUMBAI: Standard, part of Havells India, has appointed Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt as its brand ambassador.
As part of this association, Bhatt will endorse products through an advertising campaign, which is slated to be launched by end of September 2015.
The ad campaign, comprising three TV commercials, has been conceptualised and executed by Mullen Lintas.
In keeping with the changing consumer preferences and enhancing brand appeal to younger consumers, Standard, a key player in the electrical products segment, unveiled its new identity earlier this year.
Havells India chairman and managing director Anil Rai Gupta said, “We are delighted to have Alia Bhatt as the brand ambassador for Standard brand. She truly represents the young energy of India, which will be the new positioning for the brand. We firmly believe in fulfilling the aspirations of modern day consumers who are confident, independent and do not want to settle for less. She aptly represents our brand’s ideology of style with substance and is a perfect blend of everything that the brand stands for.”
Bhatt added, “I love the positioning of ‘built for young energy’ since I can completely relate to this. I believe today’s youth symbolise confidence, trust and intelligence and deserve the best in class products. Brand Standard is making that possible by fulfilling the aspirations of today’s contemporary consumers with world class products and wonderful product range.”
Brands
Faber-Castell India appoints Sunaina Haldar as director – marketing
With stints at Tata, SleepyCat and ADF Foods under her belt, Haldar is primed to redraw Faber-Castell’s brand story
MUMBAI: Faber-Castell India has poached Sunaina Haldar from ADF Foods, appointing her director – marketing as the German stationery brand looks to muscle up in a category that is rapidly reinventing itself around creativity and self-expression.
Haldar hit the ground running. “My first couple of weeks have been incredibly energising, understanding consumers, visiting markets, engaging with retailers and immersing myself into the world of Faber-Castell Group,” she said.
She arrives with considerable firepower. At ADF Foods, Haldar ran marketing across India and international markets for a portfolio spanning Ashoka, Aeroplane, Camel and ADF Soul. Before that, she was vice-president – marketing at direct-to-consumer mattress brand SleepyCat, where she helmed brand, content and performance marketing. Her résumé also includes a stint leading marketing, new product development and CRM for Tata SmartFoodz at Tata Consumer Products, no small proving ground.
Between corporate roles, Haldar also operated as a fractional CMO for early-stage startups, building marketing strategy and operational structures from scratch, a signal that she knows how to move fast with limited resources.
With 18 years straddling FMCG, D2C and the startup world, Haldar now takes the reins at a brand that has long owned the classroom but is clearly hungry for the living room. In a stationery market where the pencil has become a lifestyle statement, Faber-Castell has picked someone who knows exactly how to sell that story.
