The Hindu Business Line : An `honest' statement

THE dashing young man rescues the heroine from a crazed fan and she gets swept off her feet. Recognise this from the TV commercial that's on air nowadays? The heroine is none other than Kareena Kapoor and the d. y. m. is the Peter England man in a suit.

This commercial marks a transition in Peter England's journey," says Vasanth Kumar, Vice-President, Madura Garments. Seven years old in India, Peter England, of the `honest' shirts fame, is largely seen as a shirts and trousers brand. Suits are the "next frontier," and with this the brand has evolved into a complete lifestyle brand which has both formalwear and casualwear, says Kumar. (Elements is the sub-brand for casualwear, with shirts, jeans and t-shirts in its portfolio.)

Using Kareena to play herself in the advertisement is to show that for once, it's the celebrity who is getting impressed by the Peter England man, says Kumar. The `personality' tactic serves to cut through the clutter, he adds.

According to S. Radhakrishnan, Executive Vice-President, Mudra Communications (South), the ad agency in charge of the campaign, this is probably the first time a star is being used as a catalyst in the fashion category and not endorsing it. "This lends a lot more genuineness to the brand," he says, adding that the star's role in the ad's story has been executed very naturally.

Kareena was the choice because she is a "youth icon" and has been signed on "only for the fashion quotient she offers the commercial," says Kumar.

The brand's communication has moved from telling the consumer what the brand is to what it does. It is "honestly impressive", as the tagline claims, and the launch of suits in the brand has "re-energised" it, says Radhakrishnan.

According to Vasanth Kumar, the suits, priced from Rs 1,995-3,995, have been very well received. The company produced 25,000 suits and all have been booked by dealers, he said, adding that the company will double volumes next year.

Explaining the price point, he said that research had revealed consumer preference for a suit that was priced within Rs 4,000, which led them to get suits tailored in local fabric. Peter England suits are made of imported polyviscose blends and polyesters and have international styling and quality, he claimed. The company will also expand the suit range into semi-formals, which would cost around Rs 3,000, he added.

The commercial, which was shot in Mumbai, was directed by Pradeep Sarkar of Apocalypso films. He earlier made commercials for Coca-Cola, Prudential ICICI and Tata Yellow Pages.

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