A celebration of Australian Merino wool has been enjoyed in Indian shopping malls, as consumers were invited to fall in love with the natural, renewable and biodegradable fibre.
The Fibre Advocacy campaign was held across three weekends in three of the biggest malls in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) in association with Raymond Group, Monte Carlo, bespoke Savile Row tailors, contemporary menswear label Richard James and 2013/14 International Woolmark Prize winner for India and Middle East Rahul Mishra.
Highlighting the versatility of wool and the fibre’s infinite possibilities, the campaign was implemented to drive consumer awareness and increase the demand for Merino wool.
The Woolmark Company promoted Merino wool and its attributes via the Facebook pages of both Monte Carlo and Raymond. Monte Carlo recorded 10,000 new Facebook fans, with engaged users increasing from 306 per day to 24,000 per day and the daily reach increased from an average of 4500 to 480,000 per day.
The Raymond Group experienced similar success, gaining 32,700 new Facebook fans and an increase in engaged users from 15,100 per day to 29,000 users. The daily reach also went from 539,279 to 2,023,784.
The Woolmark Company’s consumer-facing website merino.com also enjoyed a 20 per cent increase in click-throughs from Facebook compared with the two weeks before the campaign.
Throughout the malls a unique experience zone was set-up by The Woolmark Company capturing the natural beauty of the Australian landscape, where Australian merino wool is produced. A video showcasing the entire wool production pipeline was also played, educating consumers about the farm to fashion journey.
The Woolmark Company India country manager Alex Lai said the Fibre Advocacy campaign throughout Indian malls was the ideal way to target consumers and promote leading retailers and brands.
“Wool is a premium fibre and products made from wool should have consumers’ full confidence,” Mr Lai said. “We want Indian consumers to understand wool’s full potential and become aware of the fibre’s versatility. We want Indian consumers to feel the true luxury of the fibre and also know the benefits of the Woolmark brand.”
The Woolmark Company also organised a media roundtable on November 26 with its key partners in India, once again including the Raymond Group, Monte Carlo and Rahul Mishra. Twenty journalists from leading publications were also in attendance to hear about increasing the inception of Merino wool in the Indian apparel industry.
Mr Lai said The Woolmark Company in India was expecting an increase in Australian raw wool exports - particularly Merino wool - of which India imported 20.9 million kilograms in 2012/13.
India is the second largest importer of Australian wool, second only to China, and is set to increase the amount of wool it imports thanks to partnerships with Raymond and Monte Carlo.
