"Women don't see eyewear as a fashion category": Lenskart's Peyush Bansal

This is the first time the brand has featured a celebrity in its campaign.

Online eyewear retailer Lenskart.com, has recently launched its new TV campaign, #howdoilook featuring Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif. The ad has been conceptualised by Enormous Brands, produced by Chrome Pictures and directed by Hemant Bhandari.

Currently, Lenskart has 350 offline stores in 90 cities. The brand put up its first offline store in Delhi in 2014. Lenskart plans to add more offline stores in the near future. The brand's core target audience is male and female, 24-32, SEC A.

New TVC by Lenskart - #howdoilookThis is the first time that the brand has roped in a celebrity to promote itself. We asked Peyush Bansal, founder and CEO, Lenskart.com the reason behind getting a celeb to promote the brand.

He says, "We have got Katrina for three big reasons, first one being that the brand has reached a certain stage where adding a celebrity can really take the aspiration in the brand to another level. Also, we are trying to penetrate tier II and tier III cities so it will be very critical and this will help us get there. Thirdly, we have also seen that women don't see eyewear as a fashion category, especially in a market like India and we felt that Katrina, romancing the eyewear through this campaign, can solve that problem."

Talking about the pain-point in the eyewear category, Bansal says, "The bigger pain-point with eyewear as a category is that people don't particularly think of it in a way that one would think of any other accessories; that is something we are trying to anchor. The mindset of 'chashmeesh' has a negative connotation and that is a pain-point, but as we make it more and more fun and casual, like a pair of shoes or watches, the behaviour is going to change. We have seen this with shoes; at one point there were just black and brown shoes. Now, suddenly it is normal to buy another watch, not because you need one, but because you are using it differently from the one you had earlier."

Peyush Bansal

Ashish Khazanchi

Abhishek ChaswalThe clicking sound that's featured in the ad when Kaif is selecting a frame isn't a new concept. We asked Bansal if he wanted to revise it. He says, "No. I think that's the strength of the brand. The last thing you would want to do is lose such an iconic recognition for the brand. Our brand is anchored around making eyewear fashionable and it is also digital. One of the key USPs of Lenskart, which no other retailer can offer, is our ability to let you try 1000 plus sceptical designs in a matter of minutes. No other brand can do this and hence that 'click' sound is fundamentally the brands and that message for us hasn't changed in the last four to five years. It is important to stick to our message. It has all the elements of us being a digital brand which brings out the fashion element with some fun."

Talking about the campaign, Ashish Khazanchi, managing partner, Enormous Brands and Abhishek Chaswal, executive creative director, Enormous Brands, say, "The entire process of buying glasses is not a solo one. In an online scenario, we have tried to bring out that behaviour of making the process easier. A lot of people are not sure of the glasses they are seeing online and this process makes it clear how they look on you and what is your behaviour in the offline world. You would usually take a friend along to buy glasses, so we have tried to mirror the same in the online purchase scenario through this campaign. You get to know from people you have shared with."

We asked our reviewers if getting a celeb on board will help them generate more online sales and their take on the idea and execution of the ad.

Anusheela Saha

Chandrashekhar MhaskarAnusheela Saha, group creative director, FCB Ulka, says, "I will always remember Lenskart for its 'Will you go out for coffee with me?' commercial. Not only was it hilarious but was also bang on for an idea that had to talk about the range. So anything they do after will be tough to match. The current commercial, unfortunately, does not have the same effect on me. Though it still uses the brand's old device of clicking on frames - it lacks the zeal and the humour that the earlier commercial had. Also, the minds behind the way Katrina was used for the commercial were a tad lazy. The hammed expressions of the supporting cast are also not much help."

She adds, "The new feature - share new looks - is an interesting one; sales might take off on its back. Though I have my doubts on how much the commercial will be responsible for that."

Adding about the idea and execution, Saha says, "The commercial has interesting situations - a dentist's cabin as an opening scene certainly gets the viewers' attention. Katrina could have been used better. She looks like a mere prop - much more could have been done."

Chandrashekhar Mhaskar, vice president, Isobar, says, "The film basically says that now one can share the look with friends and family to get a vote and then buy. In the current world of social media, the audience needn't be told that. They live this way of life by default. Katrina is not adding value here and definitely won't help the sales figures go north. More so, when Lenskart's offline stores are mushrooming, people will prefer to go to the store, try different frames and quickly make a purchase since the frames are seemingly affordable. They won't bother taking pictures of different frames and sharing with others before buying."

Mhaskar has this to say about the idea and execution, "It is a visual delight with Kat in there (the lacy black top being a distraction though) and the expressions of the people reacting to her looks is refreshing. But the idea is not something out-of-the-box or tried before. I am sure, with the excellent creative minds in the industry, there is a promise to do something far better."

A look at some of the ads launched by Lenskart in the past.