David bags Arvind brands, Excalibur and Flying Machine

David has added two more brands to its kitty: shirt brand Excalibur and jeanswear brand Flying Machine. Both belong to Arvind Brands Ltd. The two brands have moved from Grey Worldwide, Bangalore. When asked about the size of the business, Kumar Subramaniam, president, David, declined to divulge any figures, saying only that the wins were ‘substantial’. However, industry sources say that Arvind Brands Ltd plans to spend around Rs 10 crore on the two brands.

“David was given the businesses because of its credentials and its combination of strategy and creativity,” says Alok Dube, business head and vice-president on Excalibur and Flying Machine.

Flying Machine used to advertise itself quite aggressively in the late 1990s when it was with Lowe (then Lowe Lintas). After that, the brand went into hibernation in terms of communication, although it was very much there in the market. When the account shifted to Grey, below-the-line work such as in-store promos and PoS branding was all that the brand went in for.

“Flying Machine had a lot of residual positive equity, which can still be tapped,” says Josy Paul, chairman and regional creative director, David. “Since the brand will soon be back with a bang, our job is to revive and reinvent this equity and help it regain its status – that of a youth icon brand.”

Flying Machine has a contemporary, international look and design and is targeted at 18-25 year olds. Excalibur, on the other hand, is meant for working executives aged 25-35 years. While earlier, Excalibur was purely a day-wear brand, it will soon position itself as a broader, lifestyle brand. The range will be split into business hour wear, after hours wear, celebration and pub wear, and even golf wear, signifying the changes in the lifestyle of the customer at different points in a day.

“Formal wear as a category has a certain sameness, a general blur when it comes to ads, except, perhaps, an Allen Solly or a Peter England,” Paul remarks. “We will create a distinct image for Excalibur while still operating in the formal wear communication space.”

The media mix for both the brands will involve press, outdoor and retail activation (creating a brand world within the shop environment). Non-traditional media, too, will be used innovatively. Television may be a possibility later on.

For the record, Alok Nanda & Co. handles several brands from the Arvind Brands stable, including Lee, Arrow and Wrangler.

© 2006 agencyfaqs!