Sign up for afaqs! Newsletters
Wills Lifestyle: Inspiring emulation
ITC’s premium clothing brand, Wills Lifestyle, is out with a TVC that shows how the style statement the brand signifies is not just admired, but emulated widely
Here’s a lifestyle oriented clothing brand which has abandoned the sexual attraction positioning. For ITC’s premium brand, Wills Lifestyle, ‘Enjoy the Change’, its advertising premise last year which highlighted the attraction quotient between a man and a woman, is no longer relevant.
Atul Chand, vice-president, marketing and retail, lifestyle retail business division, ITC, says, “Our earlier ad ran for a very short while because we relied heavily on press, outdoor and direct marketing to build brand awareness.” But with Wills Lifestyle getting into a higher gear, having become the title sponsor for India Fashion Week, Chand says the brand now needs to make some noise on television as well.
Wills Lifestyle clad couple attracting stares |
Tempted to 'enter' the bodies of Wills Lifestyle users |
In a crowded train... |
That's not so crowded anymore |
The TVC opens on a shot of a man and a woman walking on a street, and people all around staring at them. From time to time, other men and women run towards them and ‘enter’ the bodies of the man and woman, shedding their own clothes. As these instances keep increasing wherever they go, the man and woman soon find themselves in a subway train with nothing but a heap of discarded clothes where people once used to sit. The voiceover concludes: “The world wants to be you. Fashion from Wills Lifestyle.” (Submit your opinion on this ad.)
The TVC was created by Arun Iyer, creative director at Lowe. Iyer says the ad makes a bold statement on how those who wear Wills Lifestyle fashion stand out from the crowd and become the object of everyone’s envy. “We have tried to portray that once people see you in your Wills Lifestyle attire, they won’t want to wear their own clothes any more,” he explains.
According to Chand, the ad shows emulation in two respects: the need to make the same kind of style statement and the overpowering urge to adopt the confidence and lifestyle of a Wills Lifestyle user. Clearly, the idea is to communicate that Wills Lifestyle users are not just noticed and admired. The people around them actually want to become them.
The peppy music track is by music director Sameeruddin. The ad was shot by Chrome Pictures in Malaysia. The advertisement amplifies the style quotient through special effects by production house Centro in Hong Kong, which has also worked on popular Hollywood films such as Kill Bill and Kung Fu Hustle.