ONLY VIMAL - WHO WILL BUY THIS EMPEROR'S CLOTHES BRAND?

By Ruma Dubey

“Only Vimal, Only Vimal…” the jingle went.  It was probably one of the first advertisements for fabrics on Doordarshan and the brand which made Reliance into a household name. It was the brand which made the country sit up and take notice of Dhirubhai Ambani and also the brand which made Mudra Communications, the ad agency which is amongst the top notch ad agencies of India today. It was the first brand to use cricketers as brand ambassadors – Sir Vivian Richards and Allan Border.

There was always this curiosity – why the name “Vimal?” And it was only much later, as the brand built up that it was known that it was named after Dhirubhai's nephew Vimal Ambani, son of his elder brother Ramniklal, who is still on the RIL board, the oldest member. It was Ramnikbhai who helped Dhirubhai set up Reliance’s first textile mill at Naroda in 1966 and by naming the fabric “Vimal” it was Dhirubhai’s way of trying to express gratitude. Vimal was more famous than the sons – Anil and Mukesh.

And to now know that this iconic brand, part of Indian corporate folklore might be sold off by Reliance comes tinged with a sense of fatality – nothing is permanent – neither the ownership not the brand. This sense of impermanence which is the truth of life is today visible in immaterial things too.

Philosophy aside, the first sense which comes, on hearing this news of selling the brand, is that of disbelief. It seems impossible that RIL and Mukesh will part with this brand, especially when it holds so much sentimental value. This is the division that launched Reliance into every nook and corner of India, is instrumental in making Reliance what it is today. And thus seems unlikely that Mukesh Ambani, for a few dollars more, that too when he is the richest Indian, would part with this iconic brand.

Yet, despite this, over the past few years, from 2000 to 2007, the brand was in oblivion, and it made a comeback only in 2007. It was re-launched in a new format, new fabrics, with differentiated price points and offerings under sub-brands such as Vimal Red, Vimal White and Vimal Black.

Despite all this, it is equally true that RIL was just dragging on with this brand for so many year, precisely for the emotional value. But if one has to conduct business, emotions do not have any place and maybe Mukesh is ready to let go. Practically speaking, there will be a multitude of takers for the brand. Its brand equity, retention value is so high that any textile company which buys it, will have instant recognition. S Kumar’s or Future group might make a bid to grab this juicy pie. Today, for RIL, this business of fabric is not the main fray; textile business contributes to less than Rs.2,000 crore to RIL revenues of Rs 2,58,651 crore. Thus with the change in business priorities, maybe it is indeed time to move on and allow a company to own it which will make the brand even more bigger, value it for more than emotional value.

There is no official word yet from Mukesh Ambani on this but sometimes, silence speaks louder than words. History was created when ‘Only Vimal’ was launched, if ownership indeed changes hands, then this piece of history will remain as mere folklore.

PS: Vimal Ambani, the man whose name became the iconic ‘Only Vimal’ brand is today the man behind Tower Overseas Ltd,  a company which makes ‘Vehicle wraps’ which  are essentially vinyl laminates, used to cover vehicles in myriad hues and designs.