MAM
Linc Pen takes brand integration route
KOLKATA: Kolkata-headquartered Linc Pen & Plastics has spent 1.5 to 2 per cent of the Rs 315 crore turnover on marketing and branding in the current fiscal 2014-15.
In an industry, which is marked by low level of differentiation, the company is aware that it is imperative to create brand differentiation among the potential target audience. In keeping with this, Linc Pen & Plastics has spent close to seven per cent of its marketing spent on digital campaigns and internet.
Also, after integrating its brand in the movie Bhootnath Returns, the company is looking for more such brand integration opportunities.
“It is essential to advertise and popularise the USP of the product and the brand on digital platforms these days. We are not only active on digital platforms, but look at how to engage with people. We spend around 78 per cent on the above-the-line (ATL) activities including advertisements and hoardings. Also, the ATL mix is going up as compared to last year,” said Linc Pen & Plastics brand manager Harshvardhen Daga.
With consumers becoming more and more enthusiastic about what brand they use, Linc Pen & Plastics is always looking for engagement programmes with its consumers.
Linc Pen is amongst the top three brands in the writing instruments industry, having largest market share in eastern India. Linc pens are exported to more than 50 countries presently. The brand was placed at number 282 across all brands in India last year.
On the brand integration with movies, he said that brand Linc was shown for around 60 seconds in Boothnath Returns. “We are in talks with people for getting our brand good visibility,” he said.
The writing instrument market is low-involvement and highly fragmented. “Linc focuses on the mass market. We have pens ranging from Rs 5 to Rs 20 in the mass market segment,” he concluded.
MAM
Barista partners Ginny Weds Sunny 2 with mango campaign
Cafe chain blends cinema buzz with summer menu and 20 per cent offer.
MUMBAI: Love may brew slowly, but marketing clearly doesn’t especially when coffee meets cinema and mangoes steal the spotlight. Barista Coffee Company has partnered with the upcoming hindi film Ginny Weds Sunny 2 as its official beverage partner, in a move aimed at tapping into youth culture through entertainment-led engagement. The collaboration is not just a logo placement exercise. Instead, Barista is translating the film’s high-energy vibe into its cafés with a themed summer menu titled “Main Hoon Mango”, accompanied by a limited-period 20 per cent discount on combo offerings across outlets.
Actors Medha Shankr and Avinash Tiwary feature in the campaign, seen engaging with the mango-themed menu inside Barista cafés, a visual cue designed to blur the lines between reel and real-life consumption moments.
The strategy reflects a broader shift in how consumer brands are leveraging hindi film industry not just for visibility, but for immersive, on-ground engagement. By embedding the film’s narrative into its product experience, Barista is aiming to drive footfall, especially among younger audiences who increasingly seek experiential touchpoints over traditional advertising.
Barista Coffee Company CEO Rajat Agrawal described the partnership as both a branding and growth play, focused on expanding reach beyond the existing customer base and aligning with evolving consumer preferences.
The emphasis on a seasonal, flavour-led hook mango, one of India’s most culturally resonant ingredients adds a timely layer to the campaign, aligning with summer consumption trends while riding on the film’s promotional momentum.
For Barista, the move is part of a larger positioning shift. Rather than operating purely as a coffee retail chain, the brand is increasingly framing itself as a lifestyle destination, one that intersects with entertainment, conversation and shared experiences. By integrating cinema into its physical spaces, Barista is effectively turning cafés into micro-extensions of the film’s universe, where consumers do not just watch a story unfold but participate in it sip by sip.
The 20 per cent offer further nudges trial, lowering the barrier for consumers to engage with the themed menu while amplifying recall through a tangible incentive.
Brand-film collaborations are hardly new, but their execution is evolving. Where earlier partnerships relied on co-branded ads or product placements, the current playbook leans towards immersive storytelling and retail integration.
In that sense, Barista’s “Main Hoon Mango” push is less about promotion and more about participation inviting consumers to experience a slice of the film within a familiar, everyday setting. As the film industry continues to act as a cultural amplifier, such partnerships underline a growing truth, in today’s attention economy, it is not enough to be seen brands must be experienced.
And if that experience comes with a mango twist and a cinematic backdrop, all the better.
