EventGupshup Events & Activation Buzz | India
Max Fashions India is amongst the most experientially focussed brands in the country today. The brand has recently announced properties like Max Emerging Star while it continues to elevate standards of its already existing IPs like Max Design Awards and Max Elite Model Hunt.
In an exclusive conversation with Vasanth Kumar, Executive Director of Max Fashions India, EVENTFAQS aim at decoding the marketing strategy of the brand and its initiatives for the year ahead.
How was the idea of creating a property like Max Emerging Star conceptualized?
Max as a brand is in the process of democratising fashion for the middle class aspirational customers. Over the past 12 years we have built Max across 75 cities with a base of 4 million customers, and it has a strong youth following. We felt it is time for us to connect more with the youth not just in terms of offering fashion but also in helping them shape their careers. Gone are the days where youth prefer conventional careers…they want to realise and live their own dreams. Max Emerging Star is a property for smart cities which will give 18-24 year olds a chance to move closer to taking the first step to Bollywood. Max Emerging Star’s primary focus will be testing the contestants based on the complete package: stage presence, confidence, diction, physical attributes, attitude and personality + desire to succeed. The event will take place in 4 cities and city finalists will be judged.
Max has always been one of country’s most preferred and affordable fashion destination. How has the brand maintained this identity and marketed itself over the years?
From day one, we were clear about our mission – to democratize fashion for middle class aspirational customers. When we found out, in India, aspirational middle class always have to make a choice – pay premium and buy a fashion brand, or compromise on fashion and buy a value brand, that we felt is not fair and it’s important for us to address that need. It’s not about money, it’s about mindset – the youth wants to try out new looks and not get boxed with same old fashion products. We already have a legacy, we are the most popular fashion value brand in the middle east, it was launched in 2004 and we felt adaptation of that to India is what required. So, the range that u see here is the adapted version. There are few products like ethnic wear and fusion range which are exclusive to India. Markets are different and we have 100 buyers and designers in Bangalore who constantly visit markets in Europe and Asia and get fashion trends and connect with Indian aspirational young customers and modify the range to suit them. So, customers get global fashion with local sensibilities and at an affordable price.
How important is experience driven or experiential marketing for Max?
Today experience is everything, especially in today’s digital world! If you don’t become an experiential brand you will be commoditised That is why whatever we do, we see to it there is an experience built in. Our product range also changes every 45 days to 2 months. So, there is a lot of different stuff for our customers. We also create the ambience at the store! The other experience is through initiatives, we have CSR initiatives for underprivileged and the needy, in fact our own employees visit orphanages. Every time our store is launched we have at least 20 kids from the local orphanages coming over and picking up the merchandise they like.
How have platforms like Max Elite Model Hunt and Max Design Awards helped the brand?
If you see the common thread in all this, each one stayed true to the purpose. If you take MDA, its mission is to give platform to budding designers to launch their careers. The winners get to showcase their fashion collection through Elle Magazine. They also get internship with leading designers in India. They can also work with Max so then know how commercialisation happens. Elite Model look is an international property, the purpose is to launch careers in ramp fashion. There is good talent who want to model in International forums like Milan Fashion Wek or Paris Fashion Week. Indian talent is looked up to as extraordinary, a cross the world and modelling should be no different. But they lack platform, but no because of the tie up Elite looks at us for raw talent who they can train.
For us as a brand, we are democratising access to multiple careers! That’s our aim!
How are the marketing budgets of Max allocated between ATL and BTL events and on-ground initiatives?
We equally divide our marketing budgets into 3 buckets:
The first bucket is – ground level activity- visual merchandising, activations inside the mall, local cinemas, local awareness basically.
The second bucket is for thematic brand building- tv campaigns- building emotional connect
And the third bucket is for authentically reaching out to aspirational young talents and giving them meaningful careers. Three properties focusing on different career aspirations
What are some of the recent campaigns by the brand and how have they worked?
For Max, we come with new campaigns every 6 months. The thought process is same as mentioned before, but the rendition keeps changing so we keep going with the time. Last year the them was ‘Today is the day for small joys’. Let’s not wait for special occasions each day should be a joyful day. Currently the campaign is ‘Endless ways out’ – there’s a brand, merchandise and emotional twist to it, so max will help you in all ways and walk of life.
What other campaigns can one expect from Max stable ahead in the year ahead?
These campaigns we evolve as we go, depends on the evolution of the brand. Common thread remains the same – is making fashion more accessible and bring more smiles.
source: eventfaq
