Ranbir Kapoor and John Players forge a new partnership

John Players, the youth fashion brand for men from ITC, has embarked on a journey with Ranbir Kapoor. It announced the launch of its new ad campaign with a ramp show. Kapoor walked the ramp and presented the exquisitely designed John Players’ Spring Summer Collection

2010. The platform was also used to launch the new brand logo, which wears a more contemporary look to connect with its audience. As Atul Chand, Divisional Chief Executive, ITC Lifestyle Retail business division explains, “The whole idea of the logo is to make it more seamless and be in tune with today’s youth. Our earlier logo was more structured and defined. The youth in India is changing. They are more relaxed and effortless. Therefore, the font is more flowing, letters are connected to each other, its’ bold and vibrant. It reflects the youth and it’s the changing attitude.”

Scheduled to be launched in April this year, the advertising campaign, which is simple and clean, captures the various moods of Ranbir Kapoor and his effortlessly cool persona. “It’s wonderful for me to be associated with a brand I connect with. A brand whose ideology I believe in. This season’s collection is cool and stylish. And I hope it connects with our youth,” said Kapoor.

The signature line of Ranbir by John Players is dedicated to the young Indian male. It includes the tastes and preferences that Ranbir has as an individual and not as an actor. “Our design team will work along with him to create this range and it will be retailed and marketed as such,” Chand says. Ranbir obviously associates himself more with denim. So the line would be John Players jeans, short shirts, T-shirts and knits with graphics, words and attitude, slim fits; basically clothes that are more fashionable, casual and informal.

In order to interact more closely with the youth, the brand is heavily into Facebook and YouTube. It has several communities on Facebook. It’s also available online through 10 to 12 sites. They are also exploring the mobile route for marketing. John Players plans to launch its TV commercials in the next 3-4 months.

The brand has a strong and growing retail network of more than 220 exclusive John Players stores and over 1,200 MBO’s across the country. Nearly 60 per cent of their sales come from their EBOs. In the financial year of 2010-11 they plan to take the number of EBOs up to 300. The focus will be more on the big cities. However, they would look at Tier II-III cities as well. In the new fiscal year, 2010-11, the brand is at looking at a 25 per cent growth.