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June 7, 2011
Pallavi Srivastava
New Delhi, June 2011
The jeanswear brand, Levi’s had been losing its premium image
with the launch of Signature, which was launched in 2006. Making
ammendments, Signature has morphed into Denizen. Is it a mere
name change or are there any cosmetic changes as well? And more
so, will the new branding pull the brand back into the premium
league?
While Denizen carries the price tag of Signature (between Rs.
799 and Rs. 1,499), Denizen is being positioned as a youth brand
targeting the 18-28 male and female. Signature, meanwhile, was
positioned as a mass brand.
Also, Denizen claims to be giving a more customised offering to the Asian consumers. Sanjay Purohit, Managing Director, Levi Strauss India, says, "Denizen is the next evolution of Signature, be it in terms of product, retail or marketing. It aims to deliver to growing consumer aspirations, which are increasingly reflecting global trends and also strengthen the position of Levi’s."
Can the phase out be smooth? Devangshu Dutta, Chief Executive,
Third Eyesight is optimistic. "The phasing out of Signature
may cause short-term pain operationally, but Levi’s has phased
out other brands earlier – even Dockers, which was a much more
iconic brand."
The challenge for Denizen, however, will come from the growing
number of international brands making headway into the mid-segment
in India. K J Singh, CEO & Co-founder, Evolve Brands, says,
"The challenges for Denizen are huge especially when all
the foremost – large and local brands are vying for the same target
audience and it’s very difficult to identify any specific differentiation
– branding, awareness and information on the customisation."
However, Tarang Gautam Saxena, Senior Consultant, Third Eyesight expects Denizen "to strengthen Levi’s position in the affordable segment."
In the global scheme, Denizen is a brand focused at emerging
markets like India, China and Brazil. In fact, it’s first time
in the history of Levi’s that a brand has not been launched in
the US.
Ajay Naqvi, EVP and Head of Mudra North & East, stresses
that Denizen would need a sharper positioning than just the youth
or the designs. "Ultimately, the success or otherwise of
Denizen will depend not only on cuts, style and the pricing; but
what the brand stands for in the consumers’ mind," he says.
Purnendu Kumar, Vice President- Retail & Consumer Goods,
Technopak Advisors agrees. "The key for Denizen to be a success
will depend on the brand’s ability to keep the product fresh and
happening as this set of consumers is much more trendier and fashion
forward," he says. Otherwise, Denizen may start on the same
path as Signature.
And to strengthen its association with the youth, Denizen has roped in actor Imran Khan, as its brand ambassador. The company will be relying heavily on television advertising to get a fair share of consumers’ mind.
Apart from that in-store advertising, digital and outdoor too
are key elements of Denizen’s marketing plans.
(This article appeared in the June 2011 edition of Pitch
magazine.)
