TCNS' 'W' goes to Rediffusion DY&R

Clothing company TCNS has ambitious plans for W - an apparel brand for the middle-class working woman. In line with its plans, the company recently invited three agencies to pitch for its advertising account. These were Rediffusion DY&R, Enterprise Nexus and Grey Worldwide and they were asked to make a credential, creative and strategy presentation. At the end of the process, the estimated Rs 3-crore business, which includes both creative and media duties, was awarded to Rediffusion DY&R. The agency believes once the brand goes national - hopefully around August 2003 - the ad budget would also go up.

Talking about the brief given to the agencies in the fray, Harmanjit Singh, head of (product) experience, TCNS Clothing, says, "The task for the agencies was to create a brand that appeals to working women and, more importantly, to build a relationship of empathy. A brand that women identify with." Rediffusion, of course, hit the nail right on its head. Says Singh, "Rediffusion produced superiors creatives and brought to the table a very good understanding of the fashion industry."

The TCNS brass is obviously passionate about ‘W', which currently has two outlets in Delhi. One is at the buzzing south Delhi market of Lajpat Nagar, on a retail space of 6,000 square feet, and the other in Rajouri Garden (west Delhi) spread on an area of 3,000 square feet. A third one is likely to come up in the Sector 18 market of Noida (Uttar Pradesh), and the fourth in Greater Kailash, again in south Delhi.

Talking about the communication plan Singh says, the effort would not be confined to increasing footfalls; but to convert visitors into regular customers. "We want to give what the working woman wants. Typically, these women would shop around to buy fabric for their salwar suit, then give it to a darzi (tailor) for stitching and get the dupatta (stole) dyed. This would take at least three days. What ‘W' does is, it takes care of all her requirements in an environment that is comfortable and premium. We have 250 styles; women can mix and match and colour coordinate and be innovative. And most importantly, get the right fit," explains Singh.

He adds, "We interviewed over 1,000 women for an anthropometric study (a science of body measurements) to arrive at the right kind of sizes. Each woman was measured for 50 size points to evolve a size structure. And believe me it was not an easy task."

In fact, it took the company two long years to develop the product line. And this was done in association with NFO MBL, KSA Technopak and Vertebrand. Based on the findings, the various styles of salwar and kameez and the display of the fabric was decided. "Displaying clothes is yet another aspect on which we differ from the others. They are all displayed on body forms," Singh adds. To create greater involvement of the consumer with the brand, ‘W' showrooms have a sample of 50 embroidery patterns for the woman to pick from. And that design is tailored onto the dress in minutes by the embroidery machines installed in the showroom.

Soon ‘W' will extent is offering to include accessories like bags and shoes, and a range of body care products.

Alongside, the company has chalked out an aggressive retail expansion plan for itself at an investment of Rs 35 crore. In the next three years TCNS hopes to have 40 retail outlets in eight metros. By August, TCNS will step out of Delhi to open its fifth outlet in Mumbai. © 2003 agencyfaqs!