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The Republic to handle creative duties for Diesel Cult
The loyalty programme of Diesel Cult will be launched in India soon; the campaign will largely involve BTL activities.
The Italian fashion brand Diesel, which entered the Indian market recently, has brought on board The Republic to handle the creative mandate for its global loyalty programme Diesel Cult. There was no pitch called for it.
Maia Katrak, founder chairperson, The Republic, confirmed the development to afaqs!, saying that the agency's expertise with high-end brands such as Harley-Davidson, a brand The Republic has been handling since it was launched in the country, helped it to bag the account.
Diesel Cult, the direct-to-consumer loyalty programme, is expected to be launched in India in the next few weeks. A programme for high-end customers, Diesel Cult felicitates brand loyalists who earn what is called 'Style Miles' with every purchase. The Style Miles can be redeemed to get exclusive merchandise that may not be available for regular purchase, besides earning other benefits.
The communication ahead will involve a lot of below-the-line (BTL) activities, digital work and in-store promotions.
Katrak likens it to the kind of work done by the agency for Harley-Davidson when the brand was launched in India in 2009.
"This is going to be very interesting and we are not going to take the easy way out with mass media. There will be BTL, a lot of viral, and print (catalogue designing) activities. Diesel is a brand that is strong online, and the brand loyalists are already aware of Cult," says Katrak.
Diesel, the brand known for its clothes collection targetted at the youth, particularly jeans, entered the Indian market through a joint venture with Reliance Brands, in which the former owns a 51 per cent stake. The Bengaluru-based creative hot shop Happy Creative Services handles the creative duties for the brand.