BANGALORE: ‘News Flash --- Everything is turning Ebony and Ivory’ was the catch phrase across the bottom portion of all the ten editions across India in yesterday's The Sunday Times.
The new campaign from Bombay Dyeing certainly managed to turn the first and last pages of The Times monochrome. The lower portion of The Sunday Times carried the above mentioned news flash ‘black’ rubber-stamp impression and directs readers to the last page, which carried a full page ad in black an white presenting the launch of Bombay Dyeing’s Ebony and Ivory collection.
Extremely graphic and extremely stylish is how the ad describes the collection, and that is exactly what the collection seems to be. TVC’s shot in black and white will be aired starting this Wednesday. Shades of Alfred Hitchcock’s Pyscho shot in black and white during the color era to draw attention, to make a statement?
The collection is a combination of bedsheets with matching bath-towels.
Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Suresh Makam of Panchajanya Textiles, a leading distributor of Bombay Dyeing in Bangalore, said, "The Ebony and Ivory is a new collection that we’ve come out with after carrying out thorough research on consumers' tastes, especially the younger generation of women aged between 25 and 44. This predominantly black and white collection based on geometrical designs and floral collections is a coordination of bed sheets with towels. We’ve come out with a limited edition of nine designs now. The designs have been thoroughly surveyed, the consumers have picked up these designs."
"Bombay Dyeing have done the in-shop branding and display – visual merchandising in the same black and white theme across 800 outlets in the country, company owned as well as franchisees counters have come up with the same concept," added Makam.
Bombay Dyeing's domestic business head Aloke Banerjee said, "All these days we have been doing catalogs for advertising our new designs, we have now started doing Fashion Forward advertising which will dictate fashion in the country. You will now see more and more of Bombay Dyeing unveiled slowly. All the models we’ve used for the new campaign are the winners of the Gladrags Mega Model Man Hunt. There’s more on the anvil, you wait and watch what Bombay Dyeing is going to do. TVC’s in black and white will be beamed to households starting this Wednesday."
The campaign has been shot in black and white on the beaches of Mauritius at a rumored cost of Rs 25 million. This campaign is reportedly the most expensive campaign by Bombay Dyeing to date.
In addition to the black and white theme, a subtle touch, maybe a single leaf or a flower or a design having a touch of fluorescent shades in blue pink and green are a part of the new collection.
For this campaign, filmmaker Zakir Chinde with Maureen Wadia’s inputs have been taken for the print and TVCs.
Total factory sales from Bombay Dyeing's bed sheet and towels division for the last fiscal were Rs 5.5 billion. This translates into Rs 6 billion in national sales at MRP and Rs 2.5 billion in exports, revealed Banerjee.
Queried about media reports that have put Bombay Dyeing ad-spends at between Rs 70-90 million, Banerjee refused to comment on or substantiate the numbers mentioned.
Initiative Media handles the media; while St. Luke's does the creatives, and Mutual PR handles the public relations.
