Tata's Teaser: Tata International launches footwear brand, Tashi

The company managed to create a buzz around footwear with a teaser outdoor campaign on bus shelters and hoardings

If you zipped by suburban Bandra in Mumbai, you may have noticed quotes about shoes on bus shelters and hoardings. That was the teaser campaign for the launch of a new footwear retailer, Tashi.

Tata International, the global trading arm of the Tata Group, is today announcing its foray into footwear retail with the launch of Tashi, a specialty footwear retail chain. The company will unveil its first retail store at Linking Road, Mumbai.

To generate a buzz, the brand launched the outdoor teaser campaign with messages, such as, "It's funny how a pair of really nice shoes can make you feel real good in your head." Another creative read, "A stiletto is more an attitude as opposed to a high-heeled shoe"; while a third said, "Is there such a thing as too many pairs of shoes? Not in our world, there isn't."

The communication, thus, is based on people who love their shoes immensely, and tries to attract them to the new shoe brand in town.

The campaign has been done by creative agency Leo Burnett.

The revealer campaign that was unveiled today at these same outdoor sites, shows the brand name and pictures of the shoes, with in-your-face copy such as "99 per cent of men say they love women in stilettos. The other 1 per cent lie."

In the first phase of rollout, Tata International will open six exclusive Tashi stores in Mumbai, New Delhi and Chandigarh. The retail chain will have exclusive stores located at high streets, major city markets and leading malls to ensure maximum brand visibility and customer accessibility.

The brand will feature products for men, women and kids. It will also include a full range of accessories -- bags, belts, wallets, jackets and foot care products.

For the record, Tata International is a supplier to global brands such as Betty Barclay, Peter Keiser, Marks & Spencer, GCI, Mango, Pierre Cardin, Hush Puppies, Escada, Gabor, Naturalizer, Zara, Grenson, Ambiorix, Samsonite and Danier; and Indian retailers such as Westside, Shoppers Stop and Raymonds. It has design studios in Italy, Spain and India.

The Indian footwear retail market is estimated at Rs 16,000 crore and is growing at over 15 per cent CAGR. With the increase in per capita consumption, changing lifestyles and greater fashion consciousness among Indian consumers, the organised footwear retail space is on the threshold of expanding rapidly.