Inside: Zivame's lingerie festival amidst lockdown

Braving the challenges put forth by the pandemic, the team at Zivame executed the third 'The Grand Lingerie Festival', here's a slice from their experience and strategy.

In September 2019, Zivame had created The Grand Lingerie Festival to assert their dominance in the intimate wear category. In March this year, the second edition was executed, right before the beginning of the pandemic. The two experiences were vastly different from what the team had to account for when they were preparing for the third edition in September 2020. The entire process from strategy to executing the festival had to be taken care of with the Zivame team members working from their respective homes.

"The entire festival is a massive cross-functioning collaboration, right from design and categories to sourcing, logistics, and marketing, it requires a large amount of collaboration and coordination among the teams. Despite working from home, we had to ensure that we were able to stay connected, co-ordinate effectively, and ensure that the entire festival is executed smoothly," Khatija Lokhandwala, DGM - Marketing, Zivame tells us.

She further explains, "While building the theme that would resonate with consumers, we had to ensure we were encouraging them to shop but also being sensitive to their circumstances. We didn't want to go all out there and encourage something that is not in the larger interest of the audiences."

Demand and supply

From an operational perspective, safety was the foremost priority. The team also had to ensure they had in stock a mix of products and sizes that were in demand in sync with the shift that was observed due to COVID-19 and the whole work from home situation.

The team saw a rise in demand for sleepwear products that deliver high on comfort but are also stylish and presentable enough for people to attend a quick video conference. Among lingerie, non-padded, non-wired styles, padded-non-wired styles could be seen as getting popular. Activewear, especially leggings and sports bras have also seen a surge as people are adding exercise to their daily routine.

These insights were considered while preparing the logistics for the festival.

Leveraging Bollywood

"For the last six to eight months, the consumers as well as have been deprived of something exciting. May it be movie launches, award shows, or even regular TV, avenues of entertainment have been curtailed this year because of the current situation. We wanted to build The Grand Lingerie Festival as the big-ticket entertainment of the year," Lokhandwala tells us.

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The brand's intent was to build and offer a festival that the consumers can enjoy with their friends and family. One that's able to aspire the same excitement that's associated with a masala movie that has all the elements of action, drama, comedy, and romance. To build up the excitement and drive participation, games, and contests were organized.

Communication needs

Educating consumers about the importance of the right fit is an essential part of Zivame's brand communication. During the lockdown, they extended the narrative around how even if you are stuck at home, you do require a certain amount of support.

The brand also tried to encourage conversations for the category, nudging hesitant persons to talk about bras openly.

Wear the right fit conversation was also leveraged in the context of virtual celebrations and how getting intimate wear right can help enhance a person's overall look and confidence.

Lokhandwala explains, "The consumers had a lot of mind space for consuming content. We used it to do three things: To educate consumers about categories, drive conversations, and create awareness about fit. We also used the time to empathize with our consumers."

Going forward, she feels there are several challenges brands will have to navigate as they adjust to the new normal:

• Understanding which consumer behaviours from before would stay and which would change.
• How to leverage technology to enhance brand experience and driver brand loyalty.
• Using social media to engage with consumers on a more personal level.