MAM
Relaxo leverages ‘bhai’ power on comeback trail to TV advertising
Mumbai: Relaxo, the brand synonymous with rubber slippers and versatile footwear for all segments of society has launched a new ad, #MazbootiBemisaal with Bollywood actor Salman Khan.
The creative leverages the star’s mass appeal that cuts across all demographics by showcasing Salman Khan in his ‘bhai’ avatar with his trademark swag. The commercial marks Relaxo’s return to television advertising after eight years and aims to position the brand as a rough ‘n’ tough slipper with superior performance.
Salman Khan, who has been the face of the brand for a while now, effortlessly fits into the larger-than-life narrative, donning the role of a footwear showroom owner. He is shown interacting with a rude customer in his signature style with a dash of humour and loads of panache while showcasing the product’s ‘majbooti’ (strength).
Relaxo Footwears executive director- sales and marketing, Gaurav Dua said, “Relaxo is a household name today. With his mass appeal, megastar Salman Khan resonates well with our brand ethos and is most suited to convey the brand USP of ‘Mazbooti Bemisaal’.”
The home-grown multinational brand based in New Delhi is the largest footwear manufacturer in India in terms of volume and second-largest in terms of revenue, with a market share of more than five percent as per estimates.
Apart from Salman Khan, some of the other actors signed up to endorse the company’s brands include Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif and Sonakshi Sinha.
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.
