Campaign Logic: Fashion within reach

Part statement and part photo album, KOOVS' maiden brand campaign aims to break category clutter by democratising fashion wear

Brand: KOOVS
Budget: Rs 25 crore
Agency: Grey London

KOOVS.COM, the online fashion store, has launched its first brand campaign, Step into koovs.com, to showcase its range of apparel. The protagonists-a young boy and girl-go through a make belief fun filled journey across the globe. They travel through a Mumbai street to an East London food market, from an underground party in a Parisian ballroom to a Manhattan rooftop, undertake a Californian road trip and finally come back to Mumbai.

"Over the past two years we have successfully established a loyal fan base for the brand in India using digital media. This is the right time for us to reach out to a wider audience through our multi-media campaign. The campaign aims to establish KOOVS as an undisputed authority on affordable western fashion. The idea is to inspire young people to explore, to be creative and enjoy fashion every day," says Mary Turner, chief executive officer, KOOVS Group. Turner adds that the company wanted a campaign that was more experiential than product centric-something that would help the brand stand out from the crowd and capture the essence of the brand.

The online fashion store is present in three categories-apparel, footwear and accessories. It offers both private label and international brands to buyers in the age group of 18 and 34 years. Conceptualised by Grey London the budget of the campaign is estimated at Rs 25 crore.

Working on its first brand campaign, KOOVS, a relatively late entrant in the market, faced a number of challenges. Dominic Goldman, executive creative director, Grey London, says "It was crucial that we made an impact in a market where there are established players, by creating an advert that would ensure cut through, fame and sharability. We could have easily just showcased the clothes in different parts of the world but we knew that wouldn't be enough to get the right connection with our audience." Goldman adds, "That's why we wrote the advert with a powerful love story - we wanted our audience to make a genuine connection with the characters, to be part of the excitement and anticipation in the script." To ensure that the true spirit of KOOVS came through in the film, the creative agency supported the story- telling with a powerful, high-energy track by Lady Leshurr, an international rapper and singer.

Even though targeted at the Indian buyer, the campaign has been shot mostly in foreign locations. Goldman explains, "Young people today are all interested in and are part of the global culture. It was important for us that we reflected that in our story. On top of that, KOOVS has a huge range of designs for different occasions and tastes. Telling a love story that starts in India and travels across the world helped us demonstrate that. We also wanted to get across the message that inspiration for style can come from all parts of the world, and it's something that often inspires KOOVS' designs"

Besides the ad film, the campaign is being amplified through social and digital media. KOOVS conducted a dubsmash contest across Twitter and Instagram asking users to share a Dubsmash video of their version of the TVC soundtrack. The idea was to build the recall value of the soundtrack and populate the hashtag #StepInto. KOOVS turned to Indian singers and dancers such as Sophie Chaudhary, Shibani Dandekar and Terence Lewis to share their Dubsmash videos and managed to reach out to eight million users. A separate Twitter contest was hosted wherein participants were asked to share what they were 'stepping into' this new season. This activity helped reach out to about 23 million users across India.

How does KOOVS plan to sustain its voice in a crowded fashion retail industry dominated by the likes of Myntra, and ShopClues among others? Turner says, "Our private label is designed exclusively by designers based in our London studios, which means we are able to bring affordable and trend-led western fashion inspired by international runways and global street culture. In addition, we have significant expertise in selecting the most relevant and desirable designs from international brands around the globe." Turner concludes, "For KOOVS, it is about credible fashionability, accessibility and affordability. Beyond just an online shop KOOVS is truly a fashion discovery platform for the young, style-conscious consumer who wants to interact and converse all things fashion."