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In a bid to help opticians recover from the lockdown related to the Covid19 pandemic, the Iris Brands’ team has come up with the idea of what they call #StepUp initiative. The #StepUp initiative is a six-month-long communication plan to help opticians connect with their customers. It has monthly programmes planned up to December, 2020 for which the Iris team would create communication material to attract customers to the optician’s store. These include flyer inserts for newspapers, whatsapp messages, and other social media material. Partner opticians are being offered this material customised with their logo etc to share with their customers free of cost. Mr.Viral Joshi (National Sales Head) has been personally spearheading this initiative and has been reaching out to opticians across India offering help beyond just moral support. He had sent out a heartfelt appeal encouraging opticians to not lose hope even though things seemed bleak at the moment. He offered them a chance to step up to the challenge that time has thrown at not just individual opticians but the entire society. The initiative has found a great affinity with the opticians across the country and has become a much-discussed topic in the industry. The fact that all the branding material is brand-neutral — the purpose of which is purely to drive footfall to the optical stores, and not as a gimmick to promote brands from the Iris portfolio has not gone unnoticed. Ms.Dia Kothari, Brand Nurturer at Iris says, “The Covid19 pandemic is unprecedented and as human beings, we need to empathise with the plight of everyone affected by this. This is not the time to set personal goals or take advantage of the other’s needs to push personal agendas. At Iris, we sincerely believe that good times will return soon. And until then, we’re here to unconditionally support our partner opticians revive their practices in every way we can.”

Mr. Bhavin Kothari, CEO of Iris Brands recently participated in the first webinar organised by VP Academy on May 02, 2020 He shared his views on the issues faced by the opticians because the digital world is too expensive and too vast for the opticians to manage on their own. He stressed that being digital is not just about having an Instagram account, but required having a digital presence which allows the brands to collaborate and drive footfalls to the stores. He also highlighted the importance of having targetted programmes for key audiences and complementing of the digital and traditional programmes to make the values of the spend more desirable. Mr.Kothari also suggested ways in which brands can help opticians achieve their digital goals. He said, “I feel brands must engage with the retailer in a different manner.” Further, he went on to outline the key steps taken by Iris Brands in this direction.— Does a brand have a digital marketing plan for the retailer?— Can the brand’s programme be localised to the retailers’ sales goals and create opportunities for exclusive collaborations?— What could be a shared budget for digital marketing activity? The Iris Brands and Ganko teams have been working with facebook marketing to connect with a younger audience and portray specific opticians as the best in the neighbourhood. They also conducted contests in association with Ace of Pubs. With their brands Femina too, they have been running digital contests and driving footfalls to the stores. The key idea though was the pathbreaking concept of Iris POD (Price On Demand) — which addresses the consumers desire to buy online with actual purchasing at the store thereby building trust between the customer and the retailer. The response to the POD had been extremely positive and Mr.Kothari is sure that it would help drive more footfalls to the retail stores.

We always knew it, and evidently so did all the customers of Alankar Eye Care. When these elite opticians won the award for Excellence in Customer Service – Boutique Store (Metros) at the ZEISS ‘YOU&EYE’ AWARDS 2018 it didn’t surprise us. But it did make us proud — proud to be associated with this exemplary retailer as a #KoschPartner. It feels good that an optician that has been recognised for their insight into customers’ tastes has also chosen to include KOSCH in their offerings to their customers. This kind of trust bestowed on the brand KOSCH by opticians like Alankar Eye Care simply motivates us to do better, and create better collections to meet their customers needs. While KOSCH is available today in optical stores across the country, we would encourage, or rather invite our Mumbai based customers to experience KOSCH at Alankar Eye Care’s Borivali branch on LT Road to experience first hand their award winning service. We guarantee you that you would not be disappointed!

KOSCH launched its Escapade series in India with a ride to Leh-Ladakh on the 4th of July. Mumbai, July 12. 2018 — Staying true its brand promise, KOSCH eyewear had its select stakeholders take a break from everyday life and experience what life has to offer beyond the nine to five — a chance to exhale, step out of their comfort zone and live life to the fullest. The six day Leh-Ladakh expedition with KOSCH delivered an experience of a lifetime, with an adrenaline-packed ride to the Nubra Valley through the perilous Khardungla Pass, followed by a serene night out, camping at the breathtakingly beautiful Pangong Tso lake. Intended as an annual affair to give everyone associated with KOSCH a chance to reconnect with their true self, the next KOSCH Escapade destination will be revealed soon. Think Beyond. #ThinkKosch

This July, nine riders will reconnect with their true self and experience the best that life has to offer. It is an opportunity for them to exhale, step out of their comfort zone and live a life beyond the nine to five The KOSCH Escapade is a unique initiative by IRIS BRANDS for its stakeholders.  A Leh-Ladakh expedition with KOSCH eyewear has been organised to take place between the 4th and 10th of July. The itinerary of the ride is bound to get everyone’s adrenaline rushing and promises an experience of a lifetime. Flying in from across the globe, the riders would converge at the Leh Airport. The Escapade includes visiting the Shanti Stupa; riding to the Nubra Valley via Khardungla, which is the highest motorable road in the world; dropping by at the Diskit Buddha statue and the sand dunes of Hundar, and also camping out at the Pangong Tso Lake through the night. Weather permitting, the riders may even see themselves push the envelope with white river rafting in the Zanskar river. It’s what we call truly getting Leh’d. Think Beyond. #ThinkKosch

If brands are known by the company they keep, KOSCH (an Iris brand) couldn’t be prouder than to be associated with A. Dinshaw & Co. — Pune city’s foremost dispensing opticians. With a legacy of over a hundred and eighty five years, A. Dinshaw & Co has time and again proved its credentials and commitment to quality standards. They were also the recipient of the coveted ZEISS ‘YOU&EYE’ AWARDS in the category Excellence in Clinical Support (Boutique Stores — Non Metro) in the year 2017. With regards to the association, Mr. Boman Barucha, owner of A.Dinshaw & Co says, “Our customers trust us to give them the latest and best offerings that the country has to offer in eyewear. And we take this very seriously, presenting a portfolio of over 50 brands at any given time. Since KOSCH eyewear is targetted at the young customer, with designs that we felt are relevant to existing trends, we felt this was a good addition to our portfolio.” If trendy and fashionable sunglasses are your thing, we would strongly suggest dropping by at the A.Dinshaw & Co showroom at M.G.Road, Camp, in Pune. If you need directions or want to fix an appointment with their optometrist, call them on 098220 06500. We can guarantee that you’ll be dazzled by their display of eyewear. And while you’re there, do also ask to take a look at the KOSCH collection. Cheers!  

Bollywood Singer Nakash Aziz, who has belted out the biggest hits of the last year like the Fan Anthem, Selfie Le Le Re and Dhatting Naach recently posted an picture of him on his Instagram page wearing a KOSCH KO 2003 sunglass. And from what he mentions on his post, he absolutely loves his KOSCH.  

Femina FLAUNT, the retail brand by Femina (owned by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.), in collaboration with IRIS Brands LLP (promoted by Ganko Opticians), launched the ambitious Femina FLAUNT collection of Eyewear. The launch recently concluded at an International trade fair and exhibition – Optic India 2018, in Mumbai.The ‘Femina Flaunt’ eyewear collection is launched with over 200 SKUs, which includes both sun-glasses and opticals. Femina FLAUNT eyewear collection will be available across 200 outlets to begin with, comprising of modern retail, specialty chains, general trade and online. Speaking about the collaboration, Sandeep Dahiya, Director & Business Head – Brand Extension, BCCL, said, “Branded eyewear is a rapidly growing category, given today’s lifestyle and aspirations. We’re excited to partner with IRIS, to launch Femina FLAUNT eyewear. Designed for young, modern women who like to step out in style, the collection strikes a perfect balance between style and comfort.” He further added, “The launch of eyewear is in line with our plans to add complementing categories to Femina FLAUNT’s core range of fashion offerings.” Iris Bands, CEO, Bhavin Kothari promises that the collection will be vibrant and engaging from season to season with more drama and style in store. He says, “the collection offers Indian women an opportunity to explore their personalities and style quotient from suiting their face contours to the eclectic colour palette and their individual fashion sense. In today’s current scenario where women are taking the front stage on all major world issues, empowering them with bold eyewear will allow them to play their multiple roles with elan.”

Bhavin Kothari, CEO, Iris Brands, India recently shared its take on 2018’s trends with VisionPlus Magazine “I think we are going to see a lot of fusion. For me, the buzz is fusion, being away from the staple diet of pop colours and base colours; a combination of acetate and metal. There’s a lot of creativity which I look forward to in 2018” – Bhavin Kothari, CEO, Iris Brands Click here to watch the interview snippet