Monday, November 9, 2009

Blackberrys : Sharp,Smooth & Sure

Brand : Blackberrys
Company : Mohan Clothing
Agency : Arms Crestra

Brand Analysis Count :427


This post is not about the ubiquitous Blackberry smartphone but about an Indian textile brand. Blackberrys is a textile brand from Mohan Clothings. The brand just happens to share a common name with the world famous smartphone brand.

Blackberrys is one of India's leading premium textile brand. Blackberrys is known for its range of suits and trouser clothing. The brand was born in 1991 and was a pioneer in bring in fashion oriented suitings in India.

The brand have a strong presence in the North and East India and only since 2007, that the brand has made its presence in the southern states.

The brand was a silent player in the market so far. Most of the promotions were below the line and seldom did the brand ventured into high profile brand building. Even without much advertising, Blackberrys established a significant place in the premium suitings category. The brand which started off as a suits and jacket company is now offering full wardrobe solution to both men and women.

The intense competition in the premium textile category has prompted this brand to invest more in brand building activities. The brand is currently running a TVC across various channels.

Watch the TVC here : Blackberrys

The brand is targeting the upwardly mobile young executives who are looking for a fashion statement in formals. The brand has identified sophistication,confidence, youthfulness and power as its core brand values.
Blackberrys has adopted the tagline " Sharp, Smooth & Sure " to communicate its brand value.
Blackberrys is also a winner of many accolades and awards including the Lycra Image awards 2007 etc.
Although the brand has proved its credentials, the TVC was not able to communicate all those good things about the brand to the audience. I was not exposed to the brand since it is not available in Kerala. From the perspective of a new customer, the ad communicated very less about the brand.
According to the media reports, the brand wanted to convey the values such as style, confidence and easy-going attributes, but the TVC was not engaging enough. The theme was not fresh enough for a consumer to explore further about this brand.
It is for this reason why textile brands will do much better if they concentrate more on print media because they will be able to talk more effectively to the consumer using the print space especially when entering new markets.

Blackberrys is a brand which believes in capturing the market in baby steps. The brand moves to certain market, consolidates and then move on. It is one of the reason why the brand took so long to cover the entire market despite being launched in 1991.
The Indian premium textile market has witnessed a huge shift in the last decade. The premium category has witnessed segmentation with in itself and most of the global brands have reached the Indian shores. It will be interesting to see how brands like Blackberrys will hold up to the competition.

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