The Hindu Business Line : The complete brand

I was married in 1982. And then I became history. No, this is not a column about matrimony or the attendant challenges. It is about a brand that most middle- and upper-class Indians not only consider but also end up buying when they get married. You don't have to be an expert on sartorial elegance either to figure out that the brand that is top of mind is Raymond. Raymond the brand has been in existence for over eight decades now from 1923. To be precise, Raymond is unquestionably Indian's foremost textile brand and a dominant market leader. The cornerstone of the brand has been the consistently superior product quality and numerous innovations that have ensured that the competition has been left behind.

You are only as good as your latest campaign

Very often, the value of advertising is underestimated by people in companies. After all, product managers believe that their mouse traps are far superior! And yet, I, for one, believe in the power of advertising - as a professional and as a consumer. More so in a category like apparel. Tell me, what's the difference between a shirt by Van Heusen and another by Zodiac? Whilst both brands would have diehard loyalists, the truth is that both these brands are buying the fabric from the same producer. The difference comes through in the designs, the advertising and the consequent imagery.

And speaking of Raymond, one of the key factors behind its success is the advertising. One of the questions that brand managers need to ask their agencies is this - "Is the brand's advertising the best in the category?" The answer has to be honest and objective. And to my mind, Raymond's advertising has been the best in its category for ages. (I know my former boss A. G. Krishnamurthy, the driving force behind Vimal's advertising for several years, will disagree but that can be a different story). And this has happened through different advertising agencies which have handled the Raymond brand over the years.

Whether it was the legendary Frank Simoes who for a short while handled Vimal and Raymond, Enterprise-Nexus with the likes of Mohammed Khan or R. K. Swamy BBDO, which has been handling it successfully for the last few years. In fact, while Vimal might have had a powerful tagline in "the looks of a winner," it was Raymond which has been walking away with the advertising sweepstakes, in my book at least.

A flashback in fashion

The hallmarks of Raymond's advertising over the years have been its sophistication and consistency. I know that it is easier for people to remember the words of a song or dialogues from films than it is to remember advertising slogans or taglines. And yet, one of the tests for an advertisement is not only its recall but also its relevance to the target audience at that point in time.

One of the brand's most visible and recalled slogans was "the guide to the well-dressed male." Sartorially challenged people like me even read the Business India in a futile attempt to understand what good grooming meant. And then the advertising moved ahead to "the complete man." The complete man was a shift in the sense that it was focused on the consumer. He, not fabric, was the hero.

Several years later, I can still recall, almost frame by frame, a commercial which was shot in black-and-white that ends on the beach with a guy in a wheelchair. This was advertising that we all yearned to produce. In fact, I used to keep telling my family that if I ever did a commercial like that, I would retire. As I am still working, you are free to draw your own conclusions! The complete man endured for several years even though the account shifted to R. K. Swamy, BBDO. The contemporary tone of voice and sophistication continue to be enduring features of the brand's advertising.

Feels like heaven

Agencies love change, more so when the original campaign idea is inherited from a different agency. And yet there can be another possible dimension to the complete man and that is warmth. If you had to find one word that describes some of the Raymond TV commercials over the last few years, that word would be "warm." I am sure all of us have enjoyed the commercials of the baby, the bunch of cute puppies, the teacher coming for his former pupil's wedding reception with flashbacks of the past or even the recent one featuring dolphins.

Crucial to the memorability of these commercials is the slick execution. It is bad enough working with celebrities and stars but I guess working with animals (however cute) must pose its own set of challenges. Consciously one realises that the brand is targeting the younger user. After all, we are a young nation that is becoming increasingly more affluent and global even as we speak. This is perhaps more in evidence in the commercial featuring a sceptical father and an intelligent albeit ill-kempt son looking for a job. The callow youth is transformed in a Raymond suit and stuns his father. To my mind, a stunning commercial.

Yes, the brand has broadbased its appeal from weddings to interviews to international travel. And it is not only bankers who wear suits now. Nor are people like me who are satisfied merely looking at their wedding suits longingly wondering how slim they were then! People wear suits and classy clothes more often and the brand that will come to mind and into their wardrobe will be Raymond despite the presence of the Digjams, the Grasims, the Reid & Taylors, the Dineshs and Vimals of the world. Raymond today is a brand with global aspirations, excellent reach and the financial clout and business acumen to take over brands like Color Plus.

Aspiration is the key

Aspiration is one of the key drivers of successful brands. I remember a Mercedes Benz commercial of a child in a womb that keeps repeating "When I grow up, I will drive a Mercedes." One of the greatest challenges of a long-lasting brand like Raymond is to remain attractive and aspirational to a new generation of users who are coming in every year. Will they continue to patronise the same brand of suiting that their father wore? The answer to that might well determine Raymond's future success. My gut feel tells me that Raymond is well on its way to do that. And if that isn't complete success, I wonder what is.

(Ramanujam Sridhar is CEO, brand-comm.)

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