“Investing in Indian Classical Music & Heritage Gives us a Differentiating Factor ”-Sanjay Behl CEO Raymond

The 90-year-old brand Raymond today is a forerunner in the corporate world acting as a patron of Indian classical music and the Indian Heritage. Sanjay Behl CEO Raymond talks about the Brands association with Raymond MTV India Music Summit, the brand's idea behind investing in Indian music and crafts thereby bringing a product range of Khadi, along with the brand's marketing plans for the festive season in conversation with loudest.in. Incepted in 1925 Raymond is a strong Indian brand which is a testimony to have seen over 9 decades of market leadership. Talking about the brands core essence Sanjay Behl says, “ The core of its essence is a strongly Indian rooted brand which has invested consistently in Indian ethos from the time of its inception, whether it's natural fiber or be it wool, we have always made products which are inherently natural, which are just not Indian products for the Indian market but Indian products for the world market.” Behl referred to the history saying, "India has been a really rich country not just in textiles but in multiple fields like handicrafts and music, so we lately started associating with the rich Indian ethos be it Indian classical music or some skill, art or craft like Khadi in order to both revive them and investing in them. So, we believe in true Raymond which is rooted in the hand-spun hand-woven premise of khadi, making us not just an Indian brand but which is actually bringing a global revolution. Raymond could actually be a beacon which can take Khadi to the world by infusing Indian authenticity in the art of Khadi creation." Talking about the partnership with India music Summit Behl said, "It's a long term partnership and is a 5-year contract, wherein the investment runs into multiple crores." Behl sheds light on the purpose behind these investments, "For us, the purpose is to revive the Indian arts thereby investing in them be it Indian classical music, arts, folk music, crafts, films, and even Indian sports, which all have a very rich fabric to it which really binds this country.” Talking about investing in Indian sports Behl says, "We had invested in commonwealth games wherein Raymond was a wardrobe sponsor, in next Asian games we are the sponsors too. If Raymond associates with them, they not only become great platforms for the brand but also gives us a huge advantage to build the brand image, as we believe strongly in the Indian ethos as we are very proud of our culture and heritage." How has such partnerships helped build the business, "It has definitely helped at Indian Music Summit where we had the partnership for Khadi. This year we decided to have the highest engagement in the premise at the summit at Fairmount Jaipur. While last year at the summit we only displayed our products but we had so much demand that this time we had put a commercial stall. Whoever visits it ends up in conversions and a lot of people are not just looking at only one purchase but are also looking at us to reach out to them after the summit." So how is the corporate sponsorship market growing for events and especially classical music Behl says, "The biggest corporate market is for Bollywood events, classical music is a traditional form which has now started to get all the due attention with all the social media and the digital music coming up, it's getting some democratization through technology. So things are working but we can't really give numbers to it at this stage." So what are the festive plans for the brand Raymond, "We are coming up with a campaign to be starting very soon on the ceremonial line of clothing because we are getting into festivity and wedding season. The campaign will have right from Khadi at one end to any kind of ethnic dressing and traditional ware largely in men's wear. It could be clothing special line for any day of the wedding, or maybe tuxedos for  a new year party to a Sherwani for a wedding to a simple Kurta that one can wear for Diwali or Bhaidooj."