Now get ready to spend on the movie you’ve watched even after you have left the theatre.
With Bollywood filmmakers becoming business-savvy and adopting new ways of recovering costs, film merchandising in India is poised to grow hand in hand with the booming retail sector. Making the most of the mutual benefits arising from such an association, Shoppers’ Stop has entered into a marketing agreement with the Shah Rukh Khan – Deepika Padukone starrer Om Shanti Om for its apparel rights. “The idea is to make wearable fashion available on the shop shelf,” said Sheetal Choksi, Customer Care Associate & General Manager (Marketing & Communications). The line of clothing is inspired and not a copy, she emphasises.
The tie-up marks the launch of four brands for Shoppers’ Stop – Push & Shove, Mario Zignoti, Vettorio Fratini and Haute Curry. Prices start at Rs 750 and go higher than Rs 3,000. Each line has been inspired by the clothesworn by the stars in the film. The film spans the period from the Seventies to now, giving ample opportunity for unique styles to evolve under each brand.
Push & Shove represents SRK’s contemporary, edgy and cool look from the film, while debutant Deepika Padukone’s look has been translated into Haute Curry, a fusionwear brand. Mario Zignoti embodies the stylish young man who wears his attitude on his shelf, like Shreyas Talpade, and Vettorio Fratini recreates Arjun Rampal’s look, which is power and courage in timeless comfort, or so goes the description. Shoppers’ Stop’s in-house designers worked in conjunction with the film crew to translate the fashion on screen to street wear. Each product has a removable hand tag of Om Shanti Om and visual merchandising is to play a crucial role in the marketing of the products. In addition, hoardings and a television commercial have been used to promote the new line of clothing.
The line has been launched much in advance of the film’s release. Choksi says, “The success of the film only impacts our sales to an extent, but customers will buy the clothesif they like them, regardless of the performance of the film.” The line will be available in the stores for not more than six weeks after the release of the film and is a limited edition. The brands will exist beyond these six weeks as Govind Shrikhande, Customer Care Associate and CEO, Shoppers’ Stop, said, “Though we are not looking for profits from this line, it will definitely help us to connect with the customer who will return to our store to buy clothes, if he takes a liking to the style we offer.”
