MAM
MTV and Crusoe tie up to launch range of men’s innerwear brand
MUMBAI: Treading the unconventional route yet again, youth entertainment channel MTV has tied up with mens innerwear Crusoe to launch the ‘Roadies’ range of innerwear.
The collection, called ‘MTV Roadies Men’s Innerwear by Crusoe’, comprises nearly 50 style options available at more than 1000 retail points, across India, including large format stores, multi-brand-outlets and exclusive Crusoe outlets apart from online sales options.
Viacom18 Media senior vice president, consumer products and communications Sandeep Dahiya said, “Over the last one year I think what we have also tried to do is try the unconventional. The brands that we have lend themselves very well to the unconventional categories and ideas. We thought we have stationary, eyewear, apparels, footwear and what have you. So why not explore categories which have not been explored yet – globally or anywhere else. Again, research and insight told us that innerwear in India is very boring more so in the men’s range.”
Research has led to the insight that for youngsters, innerwear is not just innerwear anymore. People now prefer to show it off and it has become as much a part of the ensemble as the regular clothes. The brand Roadies has been associated with daring, attitude and a rugged youth feel since the first season of the show. It lent as the synergistic partner for a men’s innerwear range.
Speaking about this particular range Dahiya said, “Today’s youth is exploring more and expressing more when it comes to innerwear, and the MTV Roadies range by Crusoe gives them over 50 design options to choose from. We were looking for a brand which has synergy to partner with. Secondly we looked at brands which had similar mindset as us. We were looking for answers to questions like do they fall in the same space? Are they open to experiment? Are they open to playing and have an attitude like ours?”
Imbuing the Roadies feel, the range is adventurous, out-doors, confident and upbeat. It comprises design elements like graphics, patterns and twisted-phrases and colours to make it unique and aspirational. The designs reflect the Roadies’ attitude with a variety of 12 styles like Maverick Briefs, Voyage Briefs, Gypsy Boxer Briefs, Beach Boxers, Wave Shorts, Surfer Shorts, Panache Vests and Getaway Shorts.
Crusoe chief marketing officer Abhishek Tibrewal said, “MTV Roadies is a cult brand with huge following in the youth space and has great synergies with our brand ‘Crusoe‘. We‘ve developed a great range comprising over 50 styles and we‘re confident of it doing exceedingly well at retail.”
Licensing and merchandising is an area of marketing that is only just rearing its head in India and one foresees bright prospects for the same.
Dahiya says, “Licensing is a fairly new deal in India and so you need an open mindset more so you can converge there and then talk about ideas at the thought level, the design level, pricing, positioning and so on and so forth.”
MAM
Ad veteran Amitabha Lahiri passes away; led MASH Advertising as CEO
Industry remembers seasoned leader who shaped brands across top agencies
NEW DELHI: Amitabha Lahiri, a seasoned name in India’s advertising industry and chief executive officer of MASH Advertising, has passed away, according to media reports.
Lahiri brought with him over three decades of experience across some of the country’s most prominent agencies, carving a reputation for building brands and businesses with equal ease. At MASH Advertising, a unit of Percept Ltd, he played a key role in shaping the agency’s direction and growth since its inception.
He joined the Percept group in 2007 as senior vice president at Hakuhodo Percept and was later elevated to chief operating officer. He eventually went on to lead MASH India as chief executive, steering the agency through its formative years and positioning it as a creative and strategic player in the market.
Before his stint with Percept, Lahiri held leadership roles across leading global networks. He served as vice president at Dentsu Marcom and JWT, and earlier as vice president and branch head at Everest Brand Solutions in Delhi. His career also included significant tenures at McCann Worldgroup, Lowe Lintas and Leo Burnett, where he honed his expertise in account management and brand strategy.
Colleagues and industry peers remember Lahiri as a steady hand in a fast-changing business, someone who combined creative instinct with sharp commercial understanding. His journey from early roles in Mumbai’s advertising scene to leading agencies in Delhi reflects the evolution of India’s ad industry itself.
His passing marks the loss of a veteran who helped shape campaigns, teams and agencies across decades. As the industry continues to evolve, Lahiri’s legacy will endure in the many brands he influenced and the professionals he mentored along the way.
