With its latest campaign, Zivame aims to become India’s most preferred intimate wear brand

• Zivame launched a new campaign yesterday called #DekhoMaineKyaKiya.
• Conceptualised by Lowe Lintas, it showcases how women have a desire to imagine themselves in new ways and are hoping to expand their boundaries, but for some, the question of “Can I pull it off?” holds them back.
• We go behind the scenes and talk to Zivame’s Head of Marketing, Khatija Lokhandwala.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to care a little less about society’s opinions on your body, erase all the filters in your mind that hold you back and do things you always wanted to do, unabashedly -- like dance in your nightwear in a random wedding procession, hula hoop a tyre in your sari or cartwheel on the beach like no one is watching? Then you would like Zivame’s latest campaign #DekhoMaineKyaKiya. It encourages women to just let go and watch the magic happen.

Conceptualised by Lowe Lintas Bangalore, the campaign pushes women to be themselves, explore new things and wear outfits and intimate wear that make them feel more confident in their own skin. It is also about women companionship and celebrating each other’s small victories, especially if it is as small as wearing a dress that makes your neighbors frown.

Sharing the insight behind the campaign, Khatija Lokhandwala, Head of Marketing, Zivame said, “Women of today have a desire to imagine themselves in very different and new exciting ways. They are hoping to push and expand their boundaries. But a lot of the time, there's a question that always holds them back: ‘Can I pull it off?’ Whether it is trying a different outfit, a new activity, indulging in a new experience but sometimes a lack of confidence, makes her question whether she can actually go ahead and do it. But only if she had the right intimate wear, which is designed for her body type, she would be able to express herself confidently, and go ahead and do anything that our heart desires. And that's the core insight on which the campaign has been built. Lingerie in today's day and age has already become an enabler of one personal style and body. Our campaign basically encapsulates the confidence and the freedom that comes through wearing the right intimate wear.”

The music is a cherry on top, that makes you wanna groove and do something rebellious. It goes, ‘Pehle kiya na, fir first time haan... and one more time -- rock it.’ It encourages women to expand their horizons and say yes to exploring new things.

A majority of Zivame’s marketing spends for this campaign will be concentrated on digital mediums because it wants to reach out to digital-savvy consumers.

Zivame has also partnered with 100 influencers from different professions such as TV show stars, athletes, music industry, micro-influencers, A-list influencers including Pooja Raina, Dr Heli Daruwala, Jasleen Royal, Aisha Mahdi, Shefali Bagga, Sonali Swami, Sonakshi Singh, to mention a few.

To further engage with its audience, it has launched a digital contest asking women to talk about breaking stereotypes and win vouchers worth Rs 10,000 in return. Women have already started sharing how they want to pursue their simple desires such as getting a tattoo, spending their money on themselves, dancing in the rain on the street and traveling the world with their kids.


Focus on inclusivity

In the last few years, we have seen more and more Indian brands wake up to the importance of inclusivity. They are making a conscious effort to cast women of different body shapes, sizes, colour, age and geographies in their campaigns. Zivame’s latest campaign also ticks a few boxes. It is also refreshing to see older women in an intimate wear advertisement.

Lokhandwala said that the brand is trying to make its overall communication a little more inclusive, one social media post and campaign at a time. Telling us why the brand decided not to collaborate with a celebrity, she said, “It's an inclusive campaign that celebrates every Indian woman. There's a mother who is enjoying playful moments with her kids, you see a woman who's indulging in her love for dancing. There's an older woman who's stepping out of her comfort zone to try something different. You see young girls who are basically breaking norms, breaking barriers and celebrating in their own style. The campaign encapsulates women from different life stages, and showcases how they are indulging in their dream. So, we wanted the campaign to be relatable to everybody who watches it. And to ensure that it is relatable, we felt that celebrities may not be the right partnership to go for this campaign. We just wanted it to showcase real women.”

The stigma surrounding discussion around intimate wear is steadily decreasing. There has been a substantial increase in demand for sportswear, bralettes, activewear and daily intimatewear as Indian women have seen their per capita spend double over the last 7 years. With this, the market potential has also increased. Simultaneously, marketing in the intimate category has also evolved, today it is more about inclusivity, diversity, comfort than style to cater to a varied population in India.

Telling us how Zivame’s consumers have changed after the pandemic, Lokhandwala said, “This current era is actually shaped by the pandemic and consumer behavior is constantly evolving. Now what is required of marketers is to predict not just what consumers will think and do in today's time but also what they will do in the next normal, and then modify and build strategies to ensure that we stay relevant. Of course, value today has taken the centre stage, given the fact that we are in an underlying economic condition, but I think consumers are still willing to pay for products that are adding real value to their lives. And therefore, it's very important for brands to communicate the tangible benefits that they offer very clearly, other than just make superficial promises to consumers. There are three E's of engagement we've actually followed post the pandemic in our marketing: educate, emphasize and entertain.”

Zivame is also trying to offer more sustainable options by using recyclable materials like polyester yarns, organic cotton, vegetable dyes, and sustainably sourced bamboo.

Road ahead

According to Statista, the market size of women's inner wear across India in the year 2020 was approximately 321.64 billion Indian rupees and was estimated to reach 621.35 billion rupees by 2025.

On the back of this increasing demand for intimate market wear and Zivame’s latest marquee campaign, it aims to become the most preferred brand in India.

Lokhandwala said, “Given the fact that this is a large brand campaign, we expect that this will lead to Zivame becoming the most preferred destination for every Indian woman for all her intimate wear needs. The campaign very clearly showcases different categories that Zivame operates in. We hope that this will lead us to more new users coming in, and existing users not just shopping for one category, but becoming multi-category users of the brand.”

At a larger level, Lokhandwala said that the brand aims to encourage more meaningful conversations in intimate category, and make it more mainstream and real.