For homegrown footwear brand Liberty, it’s time to step out from the shadows. After lying low for several years as global brands such as Reebok and Adidas and domestic premium brands such as Woodland hogged the spotlight with their high-decibel campaigns and superior product features, Liberty has decided to take up the challenge with its best foot forward. It has come out with a new ad campaign with celebrity endorser Hrithik Roshan as the face of Liberty.
In association with its creative agency Montage Advertising, the brand has recently launched a new campaign with the tagline ? ‘A feeling called Liberty’ with actor Roshan to attract the youth while retaining the image of a family brand. ?We are in an aspirational phase with 50% of our sales coming from the youth segment. Hrithik fits the bill as he comes across as one of the most non-controversial youth icons who is a cool family man,? says Anupam Bansal, director, Liberty Group. This is for the first time ever the footwear brand has brought a brand ambassador on board. The last tagline of Liberty was ‘Sapne hue apne’.
Speaking on the new campaign, Nidhi Arora, group head, Montage Advertising says, ?Today, the youth has a lot of international exposure and they are articulate and independent like never before. The new campaign will see Hrithik expressing his feelings in different ways. He will provide the desired brand visibility.? The first leg of the campaign will see print ads followed by online and below the line activities. A new film will be aired early next year.
?It was a conscious call not to advertise heavily for the last four years as the company was in a consolidation mode,? says Bansal, explaining why Liberty has maintained a low profile the last few years. ?Also, there were some shortcomings in our communication previously. People did not know where exactly to go and buy what we were advertising.? To deal with this, 2008 onwards the company focused on its retail strategy by increasing the number of company owned stores and revamping the franchisee stores. After realising that consumer preference has shifted from core products to fashion products, the company invested in product development to make its offerings more contemporary.
Brand experts believe that a category such as footwear does not require much advertising. ?Why take pains to advertise in a category like footwear?,? asks Harish Bijoor, CEO, Harish Bijoor Consults. According to him, footwear is broadly divided into two categories: the topline premium and the mass offerings. With 96% of footwear targeted at the masses there is no need for highfalutin advertising. Usually, players in this segment put the savings from the advertising budget to use by investing in product development, distribution and retail discounts.
When asked if celebrity endorser Hrithik Roshan will work for Liberty he says, ?Hrithik is the one who who works for everything ? from undergarments to slippers. This may get eyeballs for the brand but won’t work in the long run.?
Bansal agrees that the nuances of the Rs 19,900 crore Indian footwear market is very different from that of the West. ?In the West, people understand the importance of footwear and are willing to spend more than what they spend on apparels. In India, shoes are worn so that they go with a certain attire. We are still under-developed in consumer aspirations. However, there are positive signs as well. Earlier, 95% of uptake was seen in black shoes. Now men in India have started looking at shoes as a fashion accessory. There’s more uptake in comfort. Fashion footwear is like cherry on the cake. People may like it but they put it aside.? According to him, only 20% of the footwear market is organised and the real challenge lies in dealing with the unorganised market. ?We are more expensive than the local footwear and a lot cheaper than the luxury brands. People come to us for durability and comfort,? says Bansal.