Jockey India eyes Gen Z love with exclusive innerwear line

With a new four-ad campaign showcasing the comfort of the right fit—in life and innerwear—Jockey India has announced its new focus: it's Gen Z for us now. The 144-year-old American innerwear and athleisure brand, which entered the Indian market in 1995, is now targeting consumers born in the mid-to-late 1990s with an exclusive innerwear line.

What better way to start than from scratch? Statista projects the nightwear and underwear market in India to generate revenue of Rs 13,400 crore (USD 1.06 billion) in 2024, with an anticipated annual growth rate of more than 5% (CAGR 2024-2028).

Jockey India competes with the likes of XYXX, Hanes, VIP, Rupa, M&S, and Dollar Industries, among a host of other brands.

Nothing Fits Better, created by the creative agency Sweat Media, kicks off Jockey India's festive marketing plans. Meanwhile, Freedom or Nothing, the brand's main campaign by independent creative agency Wieden+Kennedy, showcased Jockey consumers unrestricted by anything in their daily lives earlier this year.

“Our marketing spend varies between 3.5% and 4.5% of our net revenue,” says Nihal Rajan, chief marketing officer (CMO) of Jockey in India. Page Industries, the official Indian franchisee of the brand, reported a net revenue of Rs 4,581 crore in FY24.

The CMO explains why Jockey India is targeting Gen Z, why its ads only feature international models and are devoid of any celebrities, and details the brand’s festival strategy.

Why a new line exclusively designed for Gen Z?

The intent is that while we build strong love and loyalty with our existing consumer base, we also want to keep the brand love alive with each new generation. 

Studies show that Gen Z connects with brands that speak to them in a relatable way, as opposed to brands dictating what’s "cool" or not. With Nothing Fits Better, we showcased slices of life around their lifestyle choices, what engages them, and what they want to do in life while launching the innerwear line.

You’ve zeroed in on the age of 23. What’s that about?

The brand targeted a zone at the intersection of fresh graduates entering their first jobs. You're still impressionable in college because you’re exposed to various things. As you ease into your first job, you become more settled. That’s also the time when you start making clearer choices about what you like and how you want to be.

The innerwear category has largely been about functionality. How do you address Gen Z’s expectations for brands to be sustainable?

Page Industries has its own manufacturing facilities and prides itself on being a leader in multiple sustainability and green initiatives. For instance, Jockey Life, a collection, is largely built around sustainability, to the extent that sustainable polyester is even used for elastics.

The brand’s new target audience is always online. Jockey India is available offline and online, now on q-comm too. Which is higher on the priority list this festive season?

It’s a 360-degree approach. From a festive perspective, we have all guns blazing across all channels. However, from a strategic priority point of view, there is a significant focus on building an online presence. We launched an entirely new interface for our website in April this year.

We want the same imagery, pricing, and experience across all marketplaces. At any given time, you won’t find the brand discounted at all, not even by 5% or 10%. We want to ensure that the experience is consistent, and that the product, through any channel, is neither subsidised nor compromised.

Which media channels do you focus on?

From a strategic perspective, we generally have two or three campaigns on TV, where the brand campaign takes the lead. Freedom or Nothing was the brand campaign, while Nothing Fits Better is a category-led campaign for which we’ve chosen digital and outdoor media.

What is your take on BMC’s draft OOH guidelines? Has it affected your outdoor strategy?

As you mentioned, it’s still a draft. One must go through it to fully understand the impact. However, we will continue using outdoor advertising—both traditional and digital. This medium has a huge impact in Tier II and III cities. There’s a bit of an old-world charm and a strong pull when you see a brand outdoors.

Why don’t Jockey India ads feature local models or celebrities?

If there is a celebrity association, it should feel natural and align with the brand's philosophy. However, we don’t need a celebrity to push the brand. We believe the brand should be strong enough to stand on its own without relying on celebrity endorsements.

Additionally, since every other brand in the category is associated with a celebrity, our approach serves to set us apart.

As for why we use only international models in our ads, it’s because of our legacy. Jockey is an American brand, and we want to maintain the perception that it’s an international brand available globally.

Wieden+Kennedy worked on Freedom or Nothing while Sweat Media handled Nothing Fits Better. Do you not prefer the retainer model?

I wouldn’t say that we avoid using retainers. In fact, having multiple creative partners is beneficial, as they bring new and fresh perspectives to the table.

How are you assessing the festive season?

From a business perspective, we’re expecting a good upturn. From a marketing communication point of view, we’ll have at least three to four different campaigns. For example, there’s a women-focused campaign following Nothing Fits Better. We also have an outdoor media campaign focused on winter wear for the North, as well as a campaign focused on kids.