MAM
Disney, Mumbai Indians launch ‘Mickey Cricket’ merchandise
MUMBAI: Disney and IPL franchise Mumbai Indians have kicked off their one year relationship with the launch of ‘Mickey Cricket‘, a limited edition merchandise range.
The products will include apparel and accessories, footwear, stationary, home and toys, all featuring Disney’s Fab Five in fun cricketing attire.
The merchandise range is created for kids aged 4-14 and will be available at shopping destinations across the nation, including Reliance Trends and Hyper City, and also online at www.shopatdisney.in and www.mumbaiindians.com.
Walt Disney Company (India) VP, consumer products and retail Roshini Bakshi said, “Creating memorable experiences for kids and families is at the heart of everything we do at Disney. India is a cricket crazy nation and the popularity of Mumbai Indians is unmatched. We are excited to bring our India fans this amazing opportunity to experience the most celebrated sport in the country with their favourite characters Mickey and friends in fun clothing avatar”.
The focus will be in the Western part of the market.
“We also expect some orders to come from other parts of the country where there are fans of Mumbai Indians residing. Already stores have placed orders wroth Rs 140 million,” Bakshi said.
Disney‘s consumer products business has seen double-digit growth over the past few years. The business has been helped by products from the ‘Cars‘ film franchise as well as Hannah Montana.
“We are talking to other IPL franchises. Mumbai Indians are trying to build a 360 degree brand, extending it beyond the cricket field. This year this tie up is a key focus area for us. We want to make the connection between Mickey and Indian kids stronger. That is why we have launched Mickey Cricket,” Bakshi said.
Mickey cricket merchandise price points range from Rs 50-Rs 2000.
Mumbai Indians owner Nita Ambani said, “We hope to make the Season V of IPL special for our young Mumbai Indians fans with the launch of this exciting Mickey and friends merchandise. We are very excited about this tie-up with Disney and hope to surprise our fans with more exciting offerings in the future”.
Disney will also run a consumer promotion ‘Scratch it!‘ during the IPL season to offer an opportunity for fans to meet Mumbai Indians players, win free tickets to Mumbai Indians matches and take ‘Mickey Cricket’ merchandise home.
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.
