Brands
Digital takes centre stage on tepid Valentine’s Day for brands
MUMBAI: Love has been in the air and on the internet all week. Valentine’s Day is no longer about just a day you spend with your loved one but is rather a week-long affair of gifts and celebration. Valentine’s Day has become no less than a festival in India, a country that takes much pride in its traditions and culture.
Although the phenomenon is only a few years old, the enthusiasm of brands investing in Valentine’s Day seems to be only increasing every year. Gifting and food and beverage (F&B) industry are most active during this time of the year and it is a big occasion for all sectors other than BFSI.
Earlier, brands focussed mainly on print advertising backed by television for Valentine’s Day promotion. But that seems to have changed now. Brands are increasingly looking at newer avenues to connect with consumers and remind them about the brand. Although the market sentiment for the day in 2018 has been tepid as major brands chose to stay away from advertising, some SMEs and new players leveraged the day to connect with consumers. The day also saw e-commerce, a major advertiser during major festivals and occasions in India, not being too gung-ho but small gifting websites such as Chumbak, Bigsmall, Dailyobjects among others got the most from the occasion on the digital platform.
iProspect India associate vice president, branding and affiliate marketing Mihir Mehta notes that brand sentiment this year has been weak as advertisers have stopped force fitting their products to occasions.
Over the years, Mondelez India has built and led the occasion through its concerted marketing efforts and gifting innovations. This year, Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk announced the launch of its new special edition pack with a heart pop, which urges consumers to not hold back from expressing their love.
Dentsu Aegis Network’s digital agency, Carat, collaborated with Snapchat to create India’s first ‘National Snapchat Lens’ for the product. Through this lens, one can blow a kiss with the Silk bar, which creates a drool effect around the consumer. Additionally, the agency also used 3D filters on Facebook that allowed users to engage and post a variety of animations on their pictures/videos, which could be downloaded and shared later.
This year, we saw brands leverage digital as the primary medium for brand activation as the occasion caters to people in the age group of 16-30 years and as the millennials are more active on digital than on traditional mediums. Other than the usual promotional ads, brands started Valentine’s hashtags to attract online audiences and organised social media contests.
Consumers have today become more product-centric and brands are making sure they deliver that. Mehta says that this year brands have not used Valentine’s Day for customer acquisition but have rather concentrated on engagement with existing customers.
Food-delivery platform Swiggy created an opt-in platform called, My ValenDine, that used interested Swiggy users’ order history, and matched them based on their favourite food and preferences. On Valentine’s Day, users could come back to the microsite to find out who their Valendine’s matches were.
Jewellery brand Tanishq created an 8-minute digital film that captured seven real love stories. Kellogg’s launched a digital-only campaign on Facebook and Instagram to create buzz around its chocolate flavoured crunchy snack.
A post shared by Kaneez Surka (@kaneezsurka) on Feb 7, 2018 at 2:26am PST
Kellogg’s believes that the response to its campaign has been very encouraging as both their branded creatives as well as content co-created with leading youth influencers like Tanmay Bhat, Ashish Shakya and Kaneez Surka have surpassed their expectation. This goes on to show that bite-sized and engaging pieces of content create relevant conversation around the brand.
Brand-Building.com founder and brand guru Ambi Parameswaran notes that this year Valentine’s Day did not see too many ads in the daily newspapers as brands decided to play it low key. “It is possible that after the furore around Padmaavat they were just playing safe but the final pudding is in the eating and if Indian upper-income consumers and youngsters do want an occasion to celebrate, then they will use Valentine’s Day to do that.”
Also Read :
How iProspect’s Vivek Bhargava foresaw a digital future two decades ago
Kids’ candy segment: Communication sees a shift
Dairy Milk innovates Silk for Valentine’s Day
Brands
Malaika Arora launches Maejoy accessories brand with Myntra partnership
New label debuts with 250 plus handbags and lab grown diamond jewellery.
MUMBAI: When style meets sparkle, a new brand is ready to take centre stage. Actor and entrepreneur Malaika Arora has launched a lifestyle accessories label called Maejoy, developed in collaboration with Exceed Entertainment and Myntra Jabong India Private Limited (MJIPL), the B2B wholesale arm of Myntra. The brand enters the market with a debut collection of more than 250 styles spanning handbags and lab grown diamond jewellery, two categories that continue to define everyday personal style for modern consumers.
The handbag lineup includes crossbody bags, structured shoulder bags, bucket bags, totes, backpacks, clutches and workwear inspired designs. The pieces are crafted using materials such as synthetic leather, raffia, braids, satin, rhinestones and metallic finishes.
Alongside the bags, Maejoy has introduced a jewellery range featuring lab grown diamond rings, earrings, pendants, bracelets and tennis bracelets. The pieces are set in 925 sterling silver bases with gold, silver and rose gold tones, and include diamonds certified by IGI and GCI.
Positioned as a premium yet accessible accessories label, Maejoy is built around the philosophy “The Joy of Being Me”, aiming to blend aspirational fashion with everyday usability. The brand’s positioning centres on three pillars: authenticity, empowerment and accessibility.
Arora described the venture as a natural extension of her long association with fashion and personal style.
“Maejoy is a labour of love. Throughout my career, whether on screen, in business or through personal style, I have always believed fashion should feel empowering yet effortless. The Joy of Being Me celebrates individuality while making global fashion trends more accessible,” she said.
MJIPL, CXO and head of house of brands Suman Saha said the brand brings together Arora’s style perspective with a strong opportunity in the accessible premium accessories segment.
“Maejoy combines Malaika Arora’s distinctive style sensibility with fashion forward designs that we believe will resonate strongly with consumers looking for elevated yet wearable accessories,” he said.
Exceed Entertainment CEO Afsar Zaidi added that building celebrity led brands requires balancing authenticity with market viability.
“Malaika commands respect both as a fashion icon and a businesswoman. Bringing her creative vision together with Myntra’s brand building expertise creates a strong foundation for Maejoy,” he said.
The collection is available exclusively on Myntra through its website and mobile app, making the brand accessible to millions of shoppers across India as it steps into the competitive lifestyle accessories space.
