Background

The Genesis: Market scenario

- March, 1997
• The size of the shirt market was 60 million
pieces (est).
• Segment Share
Premium Rs. 500+ 15 %
Mid price Rs. 250-500 35 %
Economy below Rs. 250 50 %
• The mid-price segment had good growth
rates. It indicated an enormous potential for
the development of a new brand. Peter
England was created to tap into that segment.

PETER
ENGLAND
Shirts
Market reality
• The mid-price market for shirts had a
plethora of store brands selling mostly on
retail push. All had regional or local
strengths.
• These store brands had not built and
sustained relationships with the consumers.
The relationship was primarily product-
oriented. The brands lacked clear imagery
and distinctive emotional payoffs.
• There was no single national brand.
Logically, the strategy was to gain share from
store promoted/local/regional labels.

Peter England’s competitive edge

• Peter England offered an extensive range
of office-wear; and relaxed wear. Delivery
of consistent good quality was ensured.
Contemporary designs, colours and fabric
were used. Wide distribution ensured
easy availability. And well-orchestrated
merchandising drove guaranteed market
visibility.

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Marketing objective also believed that, a good looking shirt always
• To build Peter England into the largest selling had a high price tag. This itself caused
shirt brand in India. anxiety as they were forced to reveal their
budget to the shopkeeper leaving them
Advertising objectives feeling quite embarrassed.
• To establish Peter England as an inter- • In sum, every mid-price buyer sought a mix
national quality shirt at an affordable price. of rational, sensory and emotional pay-offs.
Peter England recognised this in its
• Further, during the Launch phase, the
advertising development.
communication was designed to create a
quick and universal awareness of the brand’s
In short Peter England was trying to shorten/
USP of quality and price. And for the long
simplify the consumer’s buying process
term, the objective was to build strong brand
preference and sustain brand loyalty through
From To
attractive imagery and constantly reiterate
the product’s pluses. Search for a good shirt Ask for Peter England as
across counters. their first choice.
Understanding of the consumer Check for merchandise, Know price band
• Before Peter England was launched, the colour/ design, Check colour/design.
mid-price buyer went through a fabric/stitching, Decide on overall look.
cumbersome search process every time he overall look,
bought a shirt. There was pre- and post- brand/label.
purchase uncertainty and anxiety over fit, Ask price.
quality, durability etc. Select one from many. Select one from
• Even in the mid-price segment, the buyer is Peter England.
looking for desirable brand imageries as no Buy a shirt with a label. Buy Peter England.
one wants to feel that he is buying a ‘cheap’
Start hunt all over. Is happy.
product. Value-for-money as a proposition
Comes back to PE.
needed to be handled carefully.
• Most mid-price buyers believed premium
shirt brands were overpriced. While they Consumer Insight: Things seem to happen
liked these brands’ appeals and imageries, only to people who wear good looking (read
they were unconvinced about the value expensive) shirts.
offered in relation to the price. Consumers

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 Launch poster
Launch ad

Creative strategy
• A communication link was required
between the brand’s position as a ‘good
quality product at a great price’ and the
consumer’s need for ‘product plus brand
imagery’.
• The insight that ‘most consumers thought
premium shirt brands were overpriced’
provided that link. It tied up as ‘Just
honest-to-goodness quality. Available at an
honest-to-goodness price’.
• Thus emerged the brand line:
Peter England - The honest shirt.

The creative execution used the alter-ego format

with an element of simplicity. It used with telling
effect the element of fantasy that the consumer
segment would indulge in, to push the honesty
of quality and price across. The key driver was
the level of empathy the character generated
amongst consumers. The concept was visualised
in vernacular per se.
In outdoor media, the colour identity of Red was
used with significant impact.

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 Alter Ego - 30 secs.

Film opens to PE man talking PE Man, ‘Actually these shirts

on camera: ‘You know these offer you fantastic quality.’
Peter England shirts….’ Alter Ego: ‘Ha…..!’

Creative Units
• Launch: Press ads: 150/100 cc colour
Hoarding: Metros/mini- His Alter Ego splits and Product window.
metros stands next to him MVO, ‘Peter England. Now in
The PE man continues:’….. India. International quality at
• Post Launch: TVC - two creative units it’s tripled my business honest-to-goodness prices’.
- 30 sec Alter Ego cuts in, ‘Rubbish!’

Media Strategy
Background
• Launched in South India, Delhi and Uttar
Pradesh in March-April, 1997.
• Launched in Maharashtra in Jan-98 and the Cut to PE Man, ‘You know my
rest of India by May-98. PE man continues, ‘So I went villa at…..’.
and …bought a Mercedes’. Alter Ego, ‘Yes……..?’

Innovative approaches
• To ensure high and quick awareness among
the target group, the media plan had to give
adequate weightage not only to reach but also
to frequency; and finally to campaign
continuity. The media choice had to help
build a clear identity for the brand.
Alter Ego, ‘What? No private Film closes on sheepish look
• For the very first time, a readymade shirt jet?’ on PE man’s face. Music up
brand went outdoors extensively to deliver Pack shot. MVO, ‘Peter
England. The honest shirt’.
a high quality launch. This was followed by
press. There was a bold usage of the
vernacular media, something big brands were
shy of, eg: Taking over Dadar Railway Station
sites.
• TV was used extensively as the main medium
for the first time in a readymade shirt
category. This created a sensation in a
category used to the touch-and-feel of print.
• There was intelligent appropriation of the
TV medium for almost the first time in the
RMG category with target-oriented
sponsorships like News, Sports (cricket), and
other male oriented programming like crime
thrillers.

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 Phase 2

Press ad

Once the brand was established, the task of

quickly building volumes became critical. The
category demanded fresh fashion cues every
season; and therefore the second phase attempted
to give a seasonal flavour to the brand. In effect,
the consumer constantly got the reason ‘why
now?’ from the brand.
The casual wear range was introduced as a sub-
brand Elements in 1999.
The brand theme campaign was therefore
supported by stories like:
• The Anti-wrinkle Collection
• The Solids Collection
• The Festival Collection
• The English Cottons Collection
• The Summer Mints Collection and so on.
The brand also moved into offering trousers in
2000, thereby extending itself to cover the
Press Ad complete wardrobe.

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Press ad
Results
While various researches have confirmed Peter
England’s equity in the market place, given below
are some of those highlights.
Brand Performance
• Peter England becomes a 1 million brand
within two years.
• Crosses the 2 million mark in 4 years.
• The first brand in the mid-segment to cross
Rs 100 cr. mark in India.
• Peter England named ‘the best brand’ in the
IMAGES study a year ago.
• The only new lifestyle brand to feature in
‘best brand launch’ of The Strategist
Quarterly in 1998.
Peter England Today
Brand Track information suggests that Peter
England tops the scoreboard, on all the
parameters amongst all brands.
• Brand and advertising awareness.
• Overall satisfaction with the brand.
• Best brand; Best image.
• Brand value.
• Future purchase intention; Brand preference.
• Intention to recommend.
• Overall opinion.
Peter England today is the largest selling shirt
brand in the country, and continues to grow at a
very robust rate. Imitation is the best form of
flattery: lots of Peter England clones in the market
vouch for this.
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