Brands
Myntra aims to boost engagement on app with first-ever digital fashion reality show ‘Fashion Superstar’
MUMBAI: Bangalore-based fashion e-tailer Myntra has come up with a first-of-its-kind digital fashion reality show, Fashion Superstar, in association with Zoom Studios, to change the way India shops. With this, the company is planning to turn ‘catalogue-led fashion’ into ‘content-led fashion’, Myntra-Jabong head Amar Nagaram stated.
The show, which airs its first episode on 17 September, will go live on the Myntra App and Zoom TV, and will be judged by Bollywood actress Sonakshi Sinha and celebrity stylist Shaleena Nathani. It will capture the journey of 10 social media influencers as they compete through a variety of fashion styling and digital content creation tasks to showcase their penchant for fashion and social media. The show has been produced in association with Banijay India.
Speaking about hosting the show on the new and improved Myntra app, which in future will get more and more personalised content, Nagaram said that while their content was always running on Zoom TV, they had ambitions of making it available on their app for the longest time.
He said, “We started by introducing video catalogues on our app. Today, we have 33-35 per cent of our products in a video catalogue format. And we noticed that doing this increased the engagement time on our app. Today, we are just next to the social media platforms on the basis of average time spent on an app; with an engagement time of 20 minutes.”
However, they were trying to figure how video content could be used in a more versatile manner in accordance with the shopping experience that the app provided.
Nagaram further shared, “With influencer-led marketing taking the center-stage, we are now sure how to shape the user behavior using video. And that’s why we started this show.”
With the show, Nagaram’s focus is not on driving sales but to further increase the engagement on the Myntra app.
“We are measuring the engagement on the basis of time spent by the user and not by the revenue because that would be the metric of how good the content is coming on the platform. I can post a content, which user might click and buy the product, but if people are not watching the entire content we have a problem with it,” Nagaram said.
On being asked about getting advertisers on board, Nagaram pointed out that Myntra engaged with select partners to sponsor some parts of the choice. This was a conscious shows given that it was their first fairway into the content space and the team wanted to execute it to perfection.
With brands like Liva and Libas in tow, Myntra aims to showcase ‘meaningful collaborations’ throughout the course of its new show.
Brands
Malaika Arora launches accessories brand Maejoy
The Bollywood star’s lifestyle brand, built with Myntra and Exceed Entertainment, promises aspirational fashion without the high price tag
MUMBAI: Malaika Arora is not the first Bollywood star to put her name on a brand, and she will not be the last. But Maejoy, the accessories label she has launched in partnership with Myntra Jabong India Private Limited (MJIPL) and talent outfit Exceed Entertainment, at least has a sharper pitch than most. The brand drops with 250-plus styles spanning handbags and lab-grown diamond jewellery, two categories that sit squarely in the sweet spot between aspiration and affordability, and lands on Myntra’s platform from day one, putting it in front of millions of shoppers without breaking a sweat.
The handbag range covers the full gamut: crossbody bags, structured shoulder bags, bucket bags, totes, workwear classics, backpacks and clutches, rendered in synthetic leather, raffia, braids, satin, rhinestone and metallic finishes. The jewellery line runs to rings, earrings, pendants, bracelets and tennis bracelets in silver, gold and rose-gold tones, set in 925 sterling silver with IGI and GCI certified lab-grown diamonds. The brand’s guiding philosophy, “The Joy of Being Me,” stakes its claim on individuality and self-expression; its three brand pillars, Authentic, Empowering, Accessible, are the usual suspects, though the lab-grown diamond bet is savvier than it sounds. Lab-grown stones now sell at a fraction of the price of mined ones, and the category is growing fast in India as younger buyers wise up to the arbitrage.
“Maejoy is a labour of love. Throughout my career, whether on screen, in business, or through my personal style, I’ve championed the idea that fashion should be empowering yet effortless. The brand aims to democratise global fashion trends while offering women something that extends the feeling of luxury every day, be it a lab-grown diamond or a perfectly crafted handbag,” said Malaika Arora, founder of Maejoy
MJIPL, the B2B wholesale arm of Myntra, is putting its design and brand-building muscle behind the venture. Suman Saha, chief experience officer and head of house of brands at MJIPL, was bullish on the tie-up.
“Maejoy brings together Malaika Arora’s distinctive style perspective with a strong proposition in the accessible yet elevated accessories space. We believe the brand’s fashion-forward designs and thoughtful positioning will connect strongly with discerning consumers.”
Suman Saha, chief experience officer, head of house of brands, MJIPL
Afsar Zaidi, chief executive of Exceed Entertainment, the talent management firm that helped broker the deal, has worked with MJIPL before and was characteristically direct about what makes Arora an unusually bankable partner.
“Building celebrity-led brands requires a delicate balance of authenticity and market viability. Malaika is a rare talent who commands equal respect as a fashion icon and a savvy businesswoman. We are proud to facilitate this partnership that brings together her creative clout and Myntra’s brand-building excellence,” said Zaidi
Celebrity fashion brands live or die on one question: does the star actually wear it, or is the cheque the only thing they signed? Arora, who has spent three decades as one of Bollywood’s most-watched style references, has at least built a plausible case. Maejoy is live now on www.myntra.com and the Myntra app. The real test, whether shoppers buy the handbag or just the hype, starts today.
