The staircase walls were lined with fluttering pink and white fabric creating a floaty, romantic look that set the tone for the ambience. At the entrance, the pillars encased with plantation leaves and blooming flowers gave an exotic South Indian feel. A table placed nearby displayed vivid red bags embossed with a brilliant gold, to be given to the invitees. The hall inside was bedecked with flowers, red, pink, yellow and white blooming in their happiness at the event. The backdrop for the main event was a solid red- the primary colour of Indian weddings. A glittering samai stood quietly, its light shimmering on the flower petals strewn around its base. As invitees entered they were greeted with the melodious music of ‘nadasvaram’ the traditional South Indian music played in weddings.
The ambience was an Indian wedding – but, hold on- the event was not. The event was an IPO media and analyst conference – of a wedding card manufacturer! As analysts, used to the nitty-gritty of profits and margins entered the hall, an involuntary smile lit up their face. The ambience was so apt that it drew them into the world of weddings and greeting cards. The display of greeting cards by the company just seemed so right in these surroundings.
The Managing Director of the company ‘Olympic Cards’ beamed with pride. This was his world and this was his business – the business of weddings.
Prana PR and Raka Advertising, the organisers of the event had thought up this concept – A path breaking innovation in the world of IPO marketing. A first of its kind. Says Sushil Bahal, Managing Director of Prana PR and Raka Advertising “the idea was to differentiate wedding cards business from other products manufactured by Olympic Cards. This was critical because the Company is known for its wedding cards and is a well known brand in Tamil Nadu and other southern states. We were keen that the invited media, analysts and stock brokers at the Roadshow in Mumbai get the message that wedding cards is a big business and our client is a category leader in their market. The rest of the task of explaining better profit margins in wedding cards, reasons for expansion, etc. was delivered through an innovatively crafted powerpoint presentation, which also retained the flavor of celebration”.
Said Noor Mohamed, Managing Director of Olympic Cards Ltd “We are in the business of creativity and design innovation. It is this aspect of our approach, more than anything, else that drives our success. The challenge for us was to communicate, in our IPO marketing, the uniqueness of our market. Prana PR and Raka Advertising not only understood this but extended this to our communications for the IPO. We are extremely pleased that Prana PR and Raka PR have shown a great commitment and understanding of our market and used great innovation to communicate it. “
Adds Sushil Bahal, “ It felt good when, at the end of press conference, a couple of journalists walked up to me and mentioned that they had really wondered if they have reached at the wrong venue and have ended up at someone’s wedding reception. We had driven the point home”
