The Big Bag Revamp

VIP Bags, earlier synonymous with bulky suitcases, has undergone a makeover and is now targeting the young Indian family that loves to travel.

- Jui Mukherjee

TIMES CHANGE , AND so do tastes with every generation. And if you’re a consumer-facing company, sometimes your greatest strength could also become your greatest weakness. That’s something iconic luggage brand VIP Bags, known for providing sturdy and dependable luggage to millions of Indians for nearly 50 years, stumbled upon some time ago.

“When you mention VIP the picture that comes to mind is the bulky suitcase,” says Sudip Ghose, managing director of VIP Industries, ranked 113 on the Fortune India Next 500 list this year. While the brand signified strength, durability, and confidence, those qualities didn’t make for a cool product for millennials. That meant the brand felt a part of the fuddy-duddy brigade, and so needed a solution: a complete makeover.

Armed with new products, a snazzy new logo and a sleek marketing campaign, the brand is now looking to woo the jet-setting young Indian family with its summer campaign called “Hello Holidays”.

The marketing campaign stars Bollywood power couple Kareena Kapoor Khan and Saif Ali Khan and has been shot in South Africa. The advertisements, which focus on the convenience and the functionality of the bags, also feature a child actor who plays their son in order to drive home the message of being family-friendly. And of course, they also focus on how trendy the luggage is, to appeal to millennials.

Interestingly, while VIP felt the need for this revamp, some experts were left scratching their heads to figure out the need for it. This was because even after five decades, even with its ‘uncool’ image, the brand enjoyed the leadership position in the luggage business.