Campaign logic: A conversation starter in ethnic wear

Biba has launched its first television commercial

Brand: Biba

Budget: Rs 10-12 crore*

Agency: Lowe Lintas

Biba, the Delhi-based ethnic wear brand, has launched its maiden television commercial (TVC) as it looks at expanding its reach and store footprint in a growing segment of the apparel market. The advertisement shows a bride-to-be partying with her family and friends to a contemporary dance number. She and her brother try to persuade their grandmother to join them but the old woman is not convinced. A young woman on a microphone then calls out and cajoles the elderly into dancing as she gets the track replaced with the latter’s favourite — a vintage Bollywood song. As the bride’s brother asks her how a stranger knows secrets of their granny that they aren’t aware of, she points out that she’s her wedding planner.
 
The campaign titled “Who’s that girl?” — conceptualised by Lowe Lintas — came from the conviction that the brand has always inspired conversation as a pioneer in the category of ethnic wear, says Siddharth Bindra, managing director, Biba. While the marketing is built around that, the commercial was aimed at highlighting how each and every woman has multiple qualities that define her. “All women go out of their assigned role in their normal life, and that’s what sets them apart,” he adds.
 

Biba has floated digital advertisements earlier, but as Bindra points out television remains a particularly effective medium when it comes to building customer connect with the brand and to communicate strong storytelling. The 360-degree campaign will include play on all other channels including digital.
 

Rajesh Ramaswamy, executive director, Lowe Lintas Bengaluru, says: “Biba as a brand believes that beauty is not a superficial concept and we wanted to capture this belief in the film. The essence of what draws us to a beautiful woman is far deeper than what she wears and how she looks. It’s the combination of her looks and her substance that gets people talking. In this case, it’s the wedding planner who went beyond her call of duty by making sure no one is left out of the celebrations. Thanks to her thoughtfulness a shy old lady ends up having a great time.”
 
According to Technopak, the ethnic wear segment in India was worth Rs 82,220 crore in 2014, and is projected to touch Rs 126,210 crore by 2019. The domestic textile and apparel industry in India is estimated to reach US $141 billion (Rs 9,222 billion) by 2021 from US $67 billion (Rs 4,382 billion) in 2014, according to the Indian Brand Equity Foundation. Biba, which is one of the leading brands in the ethnic wear segment along with the likes of Fabindia and Manyavar, has nearly 200 standalone stores across the country. Bindra says they plan to add another 200 stores in the next three years. The company also has a second brand called Rangriti, which has a handful of exclusive stores.