MAM
FabIndia sets aside 40% on digital advertising
MUMBAI: Get India to explore India’s diverse culture and craft – that’s the target FabIndia has set for itself. The retail chain sells everything from garments to furnishings to ethnic products which are handmade by rural India’s craftspeople.
Established in 1960 by John Bissell, an American working for the Ford Foundation, FabIndia started off by exporting home furnishings, before stepping into domestic retail in 1976, when it opened its first retail store in Greater Kailash, New Delhi. 40,000 artisans are engaged in employment for sourcing its products today.
But a lot has changed in the last 60 years. The media outlets have changed, consumers have evolved, business has transformed and so has the economy. To keep pace with consumers’ changing needs, FabIndia has introduced a new way of shopping for its customers in the form of experience centres. In addition to this, it houses a Fabcafé, an interior design studio, an organic wellness centre and an alteration studio.
First piloted in March in Delhi this is the second such experience store for the retailer. The next store in line to get the experience centre will be FabIndia Kala Ghoda, Mumbai which should be ready to launch by April 2018. The company plans to have a total of 10 centres by 2018 spread out in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.
With changing times, brands ought to evolve and tweak their communication with audience from time to time. Brands today are shifting gears and investing more on digital platforms and shrinking traditional media ad spends (television, print and OOH). FabIndia spends 40 per cent of the advertising budget on digital platforms by creating customised content for audiences on platforms like Facebook, Google, Instagram and Twitter. The brand has become increasingly strong on digital and social on the last five to six months.
Although the brand deals with premium customers, FabIndia head of brand and marketing Karan Kumar suggests that FabIndia is a category in itself and hence cannot be included in any price range. “Our product line starts from under Rs 1000 and goes beyond Rs 10,000. We cut across all kind of income brackets and demographics,” he says.
Undeterred by rivals, Kumar says, “We don’t consider any other brand as a competition as our appeal is to a certain customer who resides in the same mind space as us which is a sense of self pride about India and its traditions.”
FabIndia has over 280 stores across India in 95 cities. Despite a presence in smaller towns, the core focus is still urban metros and mini metros. Internationally, it has retail outlets spread out in Italy, Singapore, Dubai, Fiji, Qatar, Central Asia, Middle Eastern and Southern markets but will add more stores in Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia. Being optimistic about overseas business, Kumar adds, “Gradually, we will be looking at various international markets over the next 12-18 months.”
Foreign tourists, who are charmed by the country’s myriad cultures, generate a considerable amount of revenue. But the main chunk of revenue is still from Indian customers. FabIndia made a net profit of Rs 1000 crore last year and is looking at a double digit growth this financial year.
Brands
MS Dhoni joins Cars24’s Crashfree India as Goodwill Ambassador
Cricketing legend lends his voice to the fight against road fatalities in India.
MUMBAI: MS Dhoni has traded his cricket whites for a new kind of captaincy, one that aims to save lives on India’s roads. The former India captain has been appointed Goodwill Ambassador for Crashfree India, Cars24’s national road safety initiative. The move brings one of the country’s most trusted and disciplined public figures to a cause that desperately needs both credibility and urgency.
India continues to record the highest number of traffic fatalities globally. In 2024 alone, 1,80,000 people lost their lives on Indian roads, one every three minutes. The country has roughly 1% of the world’s vehicles but accounts for 11 per cent of global road deaths. Shockingly, 66 per cent of those killed were between 18 and 34 years old, the most productive age group, and nearly 10,000 were school students. Seven in ten fatalities were linked to overspeeding.
Dhoni, known for his calm judgment under pressure, did not mince words when speaking about the issue. “A vehicle gives you freedom, but it also gives you responsibility,” he said. “On our roads, too many people still see safety as a rule to follow only when someone is watching. That mindset has cost us far too much.”
He added: “We already know what is going wrong. We know how many lives are being lost. What we need now is not more excuses. We need more responsibility, more discipline, and more respect for life.”
For Cars24, the association goes beyond a celebrity endorsement. Founder and CEO Vikram Chopra described Dhoni’s involvement as a game-changer: “His understanding of Indian roads is grounded in lived experience. He holds us to a higher standard and his involvement challenges us to push this mission further.”
Crashfree India aims to shift the national conversation on road safety from reaction to prevention, from accepting deaths as routine to treating them as the urgent failure they are. With Dhoni on board, the initiative gains a powerful, trusted voice that transcends statistics and connects directly with millions of Indians.
In a country where dangerous driving is too often mistaken for confidence, Dhoni’s message is refreshingly clear: true strength lies in control, discipline, and respect for life. When one of India’s most respected captains decides to lead this fight, the conversation suddenly becomes much harder to ignore.
The roads just got a new captain. And this time, the goal is not to win a trophy but to save lives.
