Brand Saga

Brand Saga: Manyavar - Tale of timely market entry & bold advertising

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Sneha Yadav
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Manyavar advertising journey


With the 22-year-old Ravi Modi creating the ethnic Men's Wear category at the right time & combining it with mass awareness campaigns - Manyavar was a well-known brand from Day 1. But how did this brand manage to nearly triple its sales over the years? Find out with this advertising saga.

Traditions have always been a prized possession for us Indians; so much that the world looks for it. Couple it with grand ethnic wear and voila! But did we know that the men’s ethnic wear category wasn’t a thing in the past, quite literally its existence was nearly nil? The then, 22-year-old, Ravi Modi was quick to sense this opportunity and set off to create ‘Manyavar’ - touted as one of the largest ethnic wear brands today. The Manyavar advertising journey graces us this Thursday to uplift the festive mood featuring the ever poised ads.

Manyavar Advertising Journey

It doesn’t matter which country you are settled in or how obsessed you are with the western culture, Indians carry with them a legacy of traditions and customs. Imbibing an equal amount of Indian-ness in its business is a brand none other than Manyavar (literal translation- Greetings).

With an aim to re-invent the men’s traditional wear segment, Manyavar was launched in 1999 with a seed capital of mere INR 10,000 under Vedant Fashions Pvt. Ltd. by Ravi Modi. It then went on to become the largest Indian celebration wear brand by 2008.

The inception story, reportedly states that Modi, then 22, used to work at his family’s garments store in Kolkata’s AC Market on Shakespeare Sarani. He’d just graduated with a degree in Commerce from St. Xavier’s College, and after a few rounds of business observations, he realized that there were no players in the ethnic men’s fashion space in the country. was laid the seed of Manyavar advertising journey.

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Today Manyavar has expanded its operations in approximately 200 plus cities and 3 continents, has more than 150 flagship stores across 10+ international outlets.

And it begins...

Manyavar took birth at a time when men’s ethnic wear wasn’t considered a ‘fashion’ that would make headlines and was often overlooked. The category was built and therefore the brand has been termed as a catalyst for its growth. Manyavar started with wedding wear and has over time forayed into a celebration, festive and casual wear. Although the brand was established in the late 90s, it began aggressively marketing on mainstream media quite later with a focus on print and outdoor. Largely the Manyavar advertising journey relied on in-theatre advertising in its early days.   

It should be noted that Manyavar is one of those rare brands that started advertising through theatres, first in the year 2014. Its early video campaigns were made exclusively for theatre consumption - pre-movie campaigns and interval spots.

In the early years, the advertising was mainly focused on friendships and the coming together of special bonds during the wedding season. The brand tried reinforcing the values of the traditional shaadi surrounded by your loved ones with a campaign titled 'Yaaron Ke Nakhre’.  Here the brand not only focused on the groom but ‘soon-to-be-grooms’ too.

In the world of suitings and shirtings by The Vimal's, The Dinesh's, and The Raymond's, Manyavar carved its own niche and became the category disruptor in very little time. The objective was to change the perception of restricting Indian wear only to weddings. Manyavar then strived to develop the celebration and festive wear category and created an entirely new category of fusion wear.

Later the ‘Rang Jama De’ campaign flashed every billboard in multiple cities and theatre screens marking the launch of its color collection for the wedding season. Bright Outdoor was given the mandate to plan and execute the OOH campaign across Mumbai.

The video was well shot and supported by the tadka of a Punjabi background score. Other than billboards, the brand also opted for multiple out-of-home formats ranging from gantries, unipoles, skywalks, metro pillars, bus shelters, mobile rotator, FOB, and even inflight seats. MOMS – the parent OOH company has pointed out that as the campaign was executed at one go and faced huge logistical challenges in terms of adaption of artwork for different media across the cities, and printing and installing them in time.

In 2013, Manyavar extended its marketing objectives with sports and associated with IPL by sponsoring Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Daredevils, and Sunrisers Hyderabad. The BTS of which was shot and shared on the brand’s YouTube page. The brand’s logo also featured on the players' jerseys

In 2014, it partnered Indian Super League as Associate Sponsors and later in 2018, partnered with Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab for IPL.

Over the years, the Manyavar advertising journey has churned out campaigns across mediums including social media to amplify its messaging around its taglines like Maan Dene Se Maan Milta Hai, Pehno Apni Pehchaan, Rang Jama De, Jab bhi koi khushi ki baat ho, and Earn Your Respect.

Being one of the most visible men’s wear brands, Manyavar started off with ornate embroidery for special occasions like a wedding; it later moved onto taking an inclusive approach and manufacture an attire range to go with festivals like Diwali, Raksha Bandhan, and even Independence Day. The thought and the product specifications were creatively blended in campaigns.

The brand also roped in celebrity faces like Shilpa Shetty Kundra and Chitrangadha Singh to promote its store openings in cities like Lucknow and Jabalpur.

The modern-day brand not only targeted the man of the house but expanded its focus on the whole family, introducing newer collections and also sought to popularize Indian wear for everyday use through lines of cotton kurtas and pajamas.

Whether it was about a cute conversation between a husband and wife about impressing others or confusion over what to wear for convocation, the brand has weaved interesting tales around relatable themes.

Also Read: Brand Saga: Kalyan Jewellers and everlasting bond of ‘Vishvasam’ and ‘Togetherness’

Manyavar & Celebrity Endorsements

A winning streak in establishing the brand further was the on-boarding of leading names like Virat Kohli, Anushka Sharma, Kartik Aaryan, Ranveer Singh, Amitabh Bachchan, and Alia Bhatt over a period of time.

In 2016, Manyavar brought onboard Indian Cricket Teams’ captain Virat Kohli to don its sartorial garments and look dapper for special occasions. Kohli featured in various television commercials and outdoor campaigns for the brand striking the nerve of the nation with campaigns like #AadhaAadha, #HarTyohar India KaTyohar. Shreyansh Innovations was the creative agency and Kinetic India the media agency for the brand during the period.

The #AadhaAadha video beautifully captured the essence of marriage that is all about ‘sharing’ with an insight that wedding is an important milestone in one’s life and should be done in style, the expenses should however be shared – as respect earns respect. The ad questions the age-old concept of wedding functions being financed by the bride’s family alone. 

Meanwhile, ‘Har Tyohar India Ka Tyohar’ rolled out during EID in 2017. The campaign saw the cricketer narrating a poem based on the core thought that in spite of being home to various cultures and religions, India celebrates every festival with equal excitement.

Kohli was quick to deliver hit on hits with his sophisticated yet fun presence in the campaigns. After signing Kohli, the company’s sales increased by 25-30 percent between November 2015 and November 2016.

In the same year, in a breakthrough development, Manyavar launched its women’s ethnic wear collection - ‘Mohey’. Aditi Rao Hydari was roped in as the brand ambassador for the 'Mohey Rang Do', the campaign was promoted through print, outdoor, and TV.

'Mohey' was created to sell the likes of lehengas and saris and meet the ever-increasing demand in the apparel category. The brand later roped in Anushka Sharma to lead the way for ‘Mohey'.

The couple is seen exchanging their wedding vows while attending a friend’s Shaadi and being their charismatic self. The ad took the internet by storm and two months down the line, Kohli and Sharma became real-life husband-wife. The timing of the campaign couldn’t be better and was hailed no less than a casting coup wherein #Virushka and #ManyavarMoments trended for days.

A sequel was made in 2018 with the lead pair in ‘Naye Rishtey, Naye Vaade – Hamesha’ campaign, taking forward the story of Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma helmed by Shashank Khaitan, of Dhadak and Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya fame.

2019 was the year when Bollywood actors like Kartik Aryan, Ranveer Singh, and Amitabh Bachchan became the new faces of Manyavar and Alia Bhatt became the ambassador of Mohey. The multi starrer colossal of popular faces helped the brand define new categories, collection, set new benchmarks, and deliver campaigns with opulence and glamour in abundant.

After Virushka, leading the campaigns like #GroomSquad and #TaiyaarHokarAaiye in the Manyavar advertising journey in 2019 was the heartthrob of the nation- Kartik Aryan. Hitting the peak, Manyavar went ahead to welcome Ranveer Singh in 2019. The brand shot a slew of commercials with Singh - #DiwaliWaliFeeling and #TaiyaarHokarAaiye campaigns went onto becoming instant hits.

  

Extending the legacy of the grand Manyavar advertising journey, brand Manyavar on-boarded living legend Amitabh Bachchan in the same year and came up with the #DiwaliWaliFeeling #PehnoApniPehchaan and #TaiyaarHokarAaiye campaigns. Alia Bhatt’s association with Mohey marked the rollout of  #DulhanWaliFeeling which showcased their bridal collection.

According to the reports, Manyavar garnered INR 820 crore in revenue during FY19, growing in the last five years at CAGR of 20 percent when the company was spending about INR 67 crores on ads. Manyavar’s strategy of going the multiple brand ambassador route imprinted its presence as a mass brand in the hearts and minds of people.

Not leaving behind juniors, Manyavar started with their Kid’s Ethnic and Fusion Wear line and launched premium men’s wear brand - Twamev last year.

Taking into cognizance the impact of the pandemic on the wedding season, the brand came up with the #ShaadiGrandHogi campaign for carrying forward the insight that while the world looks at the grandeur and scale of our marriages, the real magic lies in the intimate moments that we spend with our loved ones.

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Manyavar on Digital

Apart from leveraging Instagram's grid for completing a story around its recent #ShaadiGrandHogi campaign with delectable captions, Manyavar’s Mohey social media pages boast of a strategic flow of campaign announcements, collection launches, topical greetings, and much more.

Garnished with some jovial creatives soaked into the brand’s vision and objectives, Manyavar's social media presence is an inevitable affair. From triggering conversations around campaign like ‘India Ethic Week’  to driving attention towards ‘National Hug Day’ or roping in popular faces to reveal why they #DoNothing on a Sunday, Manyavar has been a brand for all.

The objectives of its digital campaigns for festivals, CSR, and video promotions range from awareness to sales acquisition. Extending offline campaigns to digital and giving them a contemporary touch has been at the core of Manyavar's digital advertising journey.

From movie theatres to billboards to TV and now digital, the Manyavar advertising journey has been full of class, umpteen style, and ingrained with an apt message for everyone transcending boundaries of age, religion, region or caste and color.  Entering the market at the right time with the right approach towards advertising, the brand has grown manifold.

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