White is a way of life, a personality: Madhu S Dutta on Raymond Whites

Raymond has launched its Raymond Whites campaign with the key proposition ‘100 Styles. One Color’. The campaign is based on the significance of white shirts in a gentleman’s life.

The TVC depicts white as a symbol of peace, purity and perfection, as well as power. It is as much a masterpiece in the gentleman’s wardrobe as it is a canvas of style.

The Raymond Whites campaign is a concept that has been developed internally by Team Raymond. The team directly worked with Denzil Machado, who shot the TVC. The team worked on the brief to bring out the versatility of a white shirt – beautifully crafted to create a unique identity and depict a visual narrative that can be a key differentiator in the category.

In conversation with Adgully, Madhu S Dutta, Head – Marketing, Lifestyle Business, Raymond, shares more on the thought process behind the campaign.

Strategising for the colour white – how did the idea come up?
A simple insight – a white shirt is a staple in every gentleman’s wardrobe. It’s the quickest short-cut to looking classy and suave. White qualifies to be the most fundamental palette in fashion. White Shirt is a la the Little Black Dress (LBD) every fashionably inclined lady has in her cupboard.

We identified this potential and thus the idea of launching Raymond Whites with a sharp proposition of ‘100 Styles. One Colour’.

What has been the demand for white shirting like, fuelling the need to launch Raymond ready-to-wear white concept?
A white shirt has many facets, and enjoys a great demand in a wardrobe. In fact, a white shirt is the building block you can build on it – pairing it not just for a formal look, but a casual look with a denim or a dapper Red Carpet look with a tuxedo.

Our collection of white shirts come in multiple styles – textures, cuts, silhouettes, an experimentation with collar detailing, cuffs, plackets, etc. Therefore, we feel this has tremendous potential to build on a strong line of offering to a discerning set of consumers.

What new are you aiming to convey with the latest brand communication?
The Raymond Whites TVC romances the concept of white in a beautiful prose format. This addresses to a discerning gentleman, depicting how white is not just a colour, but rather a way of life. It signifies individuality and absolute singularity. A white shirt exudes not just a bold feel, but rather a personality.

Don’t you think it could be a tad monotonous restricting yourself to one colour?
White, scientifically is the most interesting, unique and enigmatic colour of all. Even when it comes to fashion, nothing can beat the versatility of a white shirt. It can be styled in a million ways and for million occasions.

Do you have any plans to create synergies with the Raymond Complete Man?
All our campaigns are conceived and developed keeping in mind the overall brand perspective. The canvas of The Complete Man has always been the overarching ethos and every element of Raymond communication is derived from it.

What are the marketing spends?
Based on a 360-degree approach, this concept is presented to the user via a series of inter-connected videos, TV, digital interactive platforms and in-store media. This will be an on-going marketing initiative to build on Raymond Whites and thus, the spends will be allocated from the marketing budget to support this process.

Corporate wear, boardroom dressing, formal wear in India – what is the growth potential and growth drivers? 
White shirts just for formal wear is a very stereotypical perception. Today, the scope of its usage goes far beyond the formal space and spreads across casual, semi casual and ceremonial. So, we believe that the opportunity is tremendous and, therefore, bringing the right product mix with differentiated designs, superior quality and a competitive pricing can lead to potential growth.

Do you have any plans to have other ‘single’ colour campaigns – say a black or blue – in the distant future?
We are currently focusing on whites. We consider it more like a property, which should be built upon from strength to strength rather than again coming with another colour blocking story in the near future.

Please elaborate on your journey of building an identity for Raymond Whites.
Raymond Whites is not just the launch of a product campaign, but a journey of a thought process that will lead the customer to work around his own style statement through a wardrobe of varied styles and not just putting on any fashion essential.