"Walk. Walk. Walk. Walk with Walkaroo” is the latest campaign, with actor Varun Dhawan, by footwear brand Walkaroo (pronounced Walk Karo)
Rajesh Kurian, Marketing Director, Walkaroo International, says: “Varun Dhawan represents the Young India. We are coming out with a new category of products, especially with EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate, a lightweight, flexible, and shock-absorbing plastic used in shoe soles and midsoles). We are looking at clogs footwear as well as sports shoes which are consumed by the youth. So, Varun Dhawan gives a push for these categories.”
Rajesh Kurian spoke to e4m for the Pitch BrandTalk series on the new campaign, the brand’s plans for the festive season and much more.
During the conversation, Kurian said the company is giving an additional push for the branding and introducing new SKUs. Walkaroo will be launching two TVC commercials with Dhawan for the festive season. One of the TVCs has already been released on the digital platform.
The campaign for the festive season will start with Onam in Kerala, followed by Durga Puja in Bengal and Diwali with the focus on the Tamil Nadu and HSM markets. While the first push will be digital and television followed by vernacular prints as well as magazines. For the festive season, Walkaroo will be launching new products with new designs and new colours.
Since the brand has its roots and base in South India, it is not a surprise that this region is Walkaroo’s strongest market. Looking at the southern states, Tamil Nadu is the biggest market for Walkaroo, followed by Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, and Kerala.
Kurian adds, “We are a late entrant in the other markets. However, as the base is smaller, we are growing faster in the North, East and West regions compared to the southern markets.” Before Varun Dhawan came on board as the brand ambassador, Walkaroo had actor Aamir Khan as their brand ambassador. The choice of having an actor from the Hindi film industry is to bolster the brand's presence and give it visibility in the North Indian market. “In the non-south markets, we need an endorsement from a celebrity as the brand familiarity may not be there in some pockets.”
Looking at distribution, Walkaroo has 750 distributors and is present in 1.5 lakh retailers nationwide to cater to the bottom-of-the-pyramid market.
Kurian says, “Since we are predominantly in the mass market category, most of our offerings are in the sub-Rs 500 range. Doing an online business for this segment is not viable. The shipping cost, and the return policy of the platforms means we break even at the price-point of Rs 350 to Rs 400.”
While digital is not attractive option to buy products, digital media is used to reach out to the consumer to make them aware of about the product. “The strategy is to use the marketplace digital platform or our website to make the consumer aware of the product. This is because this is a portfolio where we could about 1,200 designs and consumers should be aware that a particular product or design is available. Digital is a tool to communicate to the consumer about the portfolio but transaction-wise, it may not be commercially attractive for a price range of Rs 400 to Rs 500. However, this is a viable proposition for the sports shoes category because sports shoes are sold at a higher price around Rs 800 to Rs 1,000.”
He reiterates that when catering to the bottom of the market, which is price-sensitive, Walkaroo offers consumer the best product at a very competitive price. “If we put a premium, the demand tapers off as the price increases. we are focused mostly on the mass segment and we have limited offerings beyond Rs 1,000.”
Looking at the product portfolio, more than 90 per cent if the sales come from the open footwear segment and the rest comes from the closed footwear segment.” To engage consumers, Walkaroo goes back to its tagline, "Walk. Walk. Walk. Walk with Walkaroo” and associates with marathons and walkathons. Walkaroo is also associated with the Coimbatore Marathon as the title sponsor. The brand has also created walking clubs and in some locations helps people form groups for a morning walk rather than walking individually. The brand also plans to formalize walking clubs in more cities.
In the financial year 2023-2024, Walkaroo achieved a turnover of Rs 2140 crore, showcasing significant growth and market presence. Looking ahead, Kurian is optimistic and says, “We are looking at 15%-plus growth in the top line. Hopefully, I think we'll be able to achieve in this year.”.....
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