Law & Kenneth, Delhi, bags Italian brand Rifle Jeans

Following a multi-agency pitch that involved three or four agencies, Law & Kenneth has bagged the creative duties for Rifle Jeans, an Italian fashion jeanswear brand that was launched in India recently. Here, it will be manufactured and marketed by Indus Clothing. Charu Bakshi, branch head, Law & Kenneth, Delhi, disclosed the win to agencyfaqs! Although the agency executives declined to comment on the size of the win, an industry source estimated it to be roughly Rs 8 crore.

The media releases will be handled by Media Shop, which handles the releases for all Indus Clothing brands. The media planning will be done jointly by Media Shop and Indus Clothing.

Rifle is mainly into jeanswear, with some tops and jackets thrown in. It is primarily a lifestyle brand, aimed at the 15+ audience. In India, it will compete with American brands Levi’s and Wrangler.

“But Rifle will gain ground on the basis of the fact that Italy is considered to be the fashion capital of the world,” says Bakshi. “An original Italian brand adds a dash of authenticity to fashion, which is how we plan to position it in the Indian market.” She is betting on the widespread belief that European jeans are considered more fashionable, adding credibility to the lifestyle positioning.

Rifle will be available all over India, with a strong presence in North and South India. The media mix for the campaign includes press and outdoor as well as on-ground activities such as association with youth events and retail branding. Television may be considered in the second phase of Rifle’s promotion activities.

Bakshi says that it is rather difficult to catch the youth through traditional media these days. So, other avenues will get more importance in the media plan. “We are in the midst of tracing the lifestyles of these young people, including where they prefer to hang out or spend most of their time,” she says. “So, malls, multiplexes and cafés will be our high target areas and we plan to carry out innovative activities in these places.”

Vishal Gupta, general manager, sales and marketing, Indus Clothing, adds that bringing Rifle to India is a part of the company’s bigger plans. Indus Clothing was known for marketing Lee Cooper for quite a few years. But now that that contract is about to expire, the company is eyeing other avenues. It plans to bring in more foreign brands to India. Three others, in addition to Rifle, have been brought aboard. Disney Jeans, a part of Walt Disney, is one of these – this brand will be manufactured and marketed by Indus Clothing. Indus is also to launch two other Italian brands, Energy and Miss Sixty. These two brands will not require an Indian agency for its creatives, which will be outsourced directly from Italy.

“Rifle is the oldest Italian jeanswear brand, dating all the way back to 1958,” Gupta says. “We intend to leverage on that.”

© 2006 agencyfaqs!