Maxus handles media buying for Kalyan Jewellers, while Push is the creative agency.
Campaign India: You have signed Amitabh Bachchan as brand ambassador recently. How do you think brand Bachchan fits in your scheme of things and how you plan to leverage Bachchan in building brand Kalyan Jewellers?
TS Kalyanaraman (TSK): Mr Bachchan is a living legend and pride of every Indian. He is the face of Indian cinema and India globally. Above all this is the life of Mr Bachchan as an individual which matches to perfection the brand Kalyan's attributes. Brand Kalyan is built on the fundamentals of customer education, best quality, fair and transparent price, service levels never seen before in the industry and constant innovation in the interest of the customer. Mr Bachchan again has lived a life which is the right balance between old-world principles and virtues and contemporary style and innovation. He has tread his own path which very few have even been able to emulate. This is what Kalyan has achieved over the last few years in jewellery retail.
CI: How do you think Kalyan Jewellers will benefit from this association? What kind of growth do you foresee?
TSK: The association is a big strength for brand Kalyan in this phase where we are about to enter West and North India. Being a South Indian player, so far we have been on the verge of becoming a national player. And for a national player who has a strong message to communicate to prospective gold buyers, what better ambassador could be there than brand Bachchan? We expect the association to give us an instant brand identification and recall and clear differentiation from day one.
CI: Can you tell us briefly about your marketing plans and how much have you set aside as marketing budget (approximate figure) over the next fiscal?
TSK: Our advertising/marketing budget for the financial year 2012-‘13 would be around Rs 90 crores. Our exact plans can’t be revealed at the moment.
CI: Can you tell us about your expansion plans in India?
TSK: We will enter Gujarat and Mumbai in 2012, rest of Maharashtra, Punjab, Bengal, Delhi and Rajasthan will follow in 2013. Down South, we will continue to open showrooms and we will touch a total of 50 showrooms by March 2013, up from the current 35.
CI: How many stores does Kalyan Jewellers have overseas, and what are your overseas expansion plans?
TSK: None as of now, but definitely, plans are in the offing. It is much beyond the middle-east like most Indian jewellers see it. We believe the world is a market for jewellery and it is there for a player like us.
