Brands have a responsibility to respect what consumers feel: Ranjani Krishnaswamy, Titan

Tanishq, India’s largest jewellery retail brand from Titan-Tata Group, has recently launched its festive collection ‘Alekhya’. The collection takes its inspiration from the rich Indian art forms miniature and Pichwai paintings.  

Alekhya was unveiled at a dazzling ceremony in Mumbai on Friday. On the sidelines of the event, e4m spoke to Ranjani Krishnaswamy, General Manager Marketing at Tanishq, Titan Company Limited, to understand her festive plans, AdEx and much more.

On Alekhya

“Alekhya is our festive collection that takes its inspiration from the ancient Indian art forms of Pichwai and miniature paintings – a notable tradition of Mughal, Rajasthani & Pahari courts. The collection includes neckwear, earrings, and handcrafted jewellery with new-age Meenakari motifs and colours and hence accessible to women of all income groups,” says Krishnaswamy.

On festive campaigns

Tanishq advertisements have always been heartwarming and progressive in which women are projected as strong and independent individuals. 

For the current festive season, which is the first full-fledged celebration after two subdued years of a global health crisis, the jewellery retailer has come up with the “Pehli Diwali” campaign with a twist such as the “Naye Milestone Wali Pehli Diwali” campaign and “Nayi Family Wali Pehli Diwali”.

The campaign includes three films (two campaigns released on Saturday, one is yet to be released) through which the brand tells three compelling stories on how Tanishq believes in celebrating the powerful women of today who achieved milestones by breaking the glass ceilings and charting new territory. 

What was the core idea behind Tanishq’s latest campaigns? Krishnaswamy explains, “People tried to do various new things during the pandemic. For instance,  entrepreneurship, home-based setups and small ventures got a boost during this time. Many people, especially women who crossed mountains to find new horizons, felt that they had a dream and wanted to live up to that. People are celebrating their first Diwali with new endeavours.”

“Our Diwali campaign every year focuses on the first Diwali at different stages of life that are usually attached to life stage changes. We thought-Why not celebrate life changes this time. Our National Diwali campaign that was launched last week is built around this narrative. A successful woman entrepreneur to mother-daughter bonding to Air Force officers celebration, each story depicts the first-ever Diwali celebration in the new life,” she noted. 

The brand is celebrating a mini-festival in different parts of the country with this campaign. 

Challenges of jewellery marketing

On asking about the challenges of jewellery marketing during the pandemic and now when markets are open, Krishnaswamy says, “Consumer journey took an interesting turn during the pandemic as many people took to online jewellery shopping for the first time, especially for marriage purposes. When markets were open, most people moved back to buying from stores. However, they still explore designs and trends online and then go back to stores to buy jewellery.”

“There is a piece of jewellery for every woman and every budget in this collection. This signature collection has nearly 80 pieces of jewellery including earrings, bangles and necklaces starting from Rs 65,000 to Rs 10 lakh and will be available at all our stores across India. That's the confidence we have in Alekhya”, she assures. 

Media mix & AdEx

We have a holistic view of the media which is more comprehensive, says the Titan GM. She explains, “Be it digital, TV, print or others, we look at all the media platforms equally. Consumers today are not mono-device or mono-media anymore. Our media spend is spread across platforms.”

We don't want to leave any stone unturned during this festival, says Krishnaswamy, adding, “Our advertising expenditure this year is 20-25 per cent upwards compared to the pre-covid times.” 

On campaign criticism 

Tanishq’s campaigns have always been culture-centric with a woman protagonist challenging the prejudices that exist in our society. Yet, one of its ads released in October 2020, in which a Hindu woman was pregnant with a Muslim man’s child and her mother-in-law held a baby shower ceremony, courted controversy prompting the brand to withdraw from the campaign. 

When asked about the freedom of expression in creativity and troll culture on social media against progressive campaigns, Krishnaswamy responded without mincing her words. 

“Brands have certain responsibilities to respect what consumers feel. If they love our stories, that means we are in the right place. If our stories create certain unrest among our consumers’ minds, then we should pause and reflect and be in sync. Stories must be real, authentic and resonate with consumers,” says the marketing leader. 

Is it possible to please everyone? She admitted, “No! There is nothing called universal love. I think brands create fraternities. People who love Tanishq endorse a certain progressive and forward-looking mindset. We have the responsibility to ensure that our stories resonate with consumers' emotions, reflect what is happening in their lives and take the conversation forward. The stories should inspire others and create positive vibrations.”