News: Ralph Lauren makes a quiet, slow entry into India

(DNA 26/06/2006) Kolkata - There’s a whiff of an Indian connection, they say, and could well be the tie that binds with the consumer of today. It all began, in any case, with ties. The men’s variety, that is. Way back in 1967, American stylist Ralph Lauren first introduced his now iconic Polo line of ties for men. More than a decade later, in 1978, he entered the world of fragrances, with his signature brands - Polo for men and Lauren for women, featuring the icon of the polo player as his flagship design.

And now, Ralph Lauren has made a quiet entry, riding on, what else, its Polo player, into India, the country in which, they say, the game originated.

But L’Oreal, which now owns the designer brand’s premium range of fragrances and skincare products, will use the signature Polo label as the mallet to gain an entry into the goalpost of the consumer’s mindspace.

“India is a strategic market and we will leverage on the Polo brand in the country,” Binita Cooper, general manager, L’Oreal luxury products, told DNA Money.

In fact a study on India, conducted by L’Oreal, has revealed that Ralph Lauren ranks at No 6 among the luxury brands that Indians would like to buy. A good case for including 13 products from the Polo range alone in a list of 23 to be retailed in India.

Fragrances, EDTs, aftershave, deodorants and shower gels will be available for men. The women’s range includes fragrances, EDTs, body lotions and deodorants. Polo Black, Polo Blue, Romance for Men and Ralph Lauren Blue will put up a scent-sational show.

There are no shop-in-shop format for this premium brand. Only multi-brand luxury outlets like the La Galleria at Bandra are on L’Oreal’s distribution radar. In fact, the Mumbai store is the only retail point for Ralph Lauren in India at present.

The target audience is the style conscious, urban Indians, who believe in style. It may as well be, because these are luxury price points — a Polo Black deodorant stick will cost Rs 1,050, while a 100 ml Romance EDP Vapo flaunts a price tag of Rs 4,700 at the upper end of the spectrum.