Fastrack unveiled the three key marquee product offerings under the Fastrack Reflex portfolio – Fastrack Reflex 3.0, Fastrack Reflex 2C, and Fastrack Reflex Tunes, which marks the brand’s entry into the Hearables segment.
Fastrack the pioneer youth fashion accessories brand continues to evolve with the consumer needs and advances the wearables category under Fastrack Reflex, offering a range of tech ahead products with a touch of fashion
Fastrack was launched in 1998 and became an independent urban youth brand in 2005. Since then, it has carved a niche for itself with watches and sunglasses that are refreshingly different and affordable. Fastrack extended its footprint into accessories in 2009 with an exciting range of bags, belts, and wallets and has today successfully notched up the title of being the most loved youth fashion brand in the country.
Ajay Maurya, Marketing Head, FastTrack in an exclusive chat with Medianews4U talks on the journey of Fastrack, the campaign, marketing initiatives, and more…
It has been 15+ years since Fastrack was launched as an independent entity, how has the journey been?
In the last 15 years, Fastrack has carved a niche for itself in the youth accessories and watches category, and we take great pride in leading the conversation regarding youth fashion and trends. As a brand, we continuously strive to be authentic and stylish and have evolved with our target audience: the youth who are fluid in their personalities and are always early adopters of trends in fashion and technology. With time the youth have acquired a sweet spot for technology and this inclination is on a rapid rise. We have created a landmark with the strengthening of the fash tech portfolio under the Reflex cluster since 2017, and we continue to strengthen our foothold in the smart wearable and fitness category for the youth.
We plan to launch multiple products and categories under Reflex to expand the portfolio and offer fashionable and feasible tech products to GenZ. Reflex 3.0 and Reflex Tunes launch which is our entry into the Wireless Hearables category, all in line with our undertaking to build on the fash-tech offerings by the brand to cater to the youth who is looking for feature-rich products with a fashionable edge. Similarly, Fastrack Reflex 2C Pay aims to reach the tech-inspired Gen Z for whom convenience is the key.
#StartAnyWhere is a very lovely campaign aimed at the youth, what was the idea and thought process behind this campaign?
We wanted to capture the Gen-Z spirit of fluidity to fitness, sharing a way to make a statement, having fun, being part of a tribe, following your heart, and never hesitate. The thought behind the campaign was coming from this behavior of GenZ which also translates to their fitness and spills out, ever so freely, from the walls of gyms and lines of courts, to almost anywhere. We narrowed down on an insight that people always tend to delay the start of their fitness journey to maybe the closest Monday, start of a month or year. This fuzz-free generation has no time to plan or wait. So we wanted to start a conversation about how GenZ fitness needs no court or gear, and their fitness journey can start anywhere they want it to.
While working out means monotony to the rest of the world, the #StartAnywhere is a youthful and high-fashion interpretation of what fitness means to Gen-Z. The campaign was created for the Fastrack Reflex 3.0 smart band that comes with 10+ sports modes which makes the process of starting your fitness journey as easy as it gets.
Fastrack is a youth brand, but this segment is very unpredictable. How have you sustained yourself as a brand?
Fastrack is known as an iconic youth accessory brand and we continue the work to remain relevant through understanding our customer segment, how the segment thinks, what they seek – be it technology or minimalism, or fitness-related products. The difference in choices when it comes to fashion and accessories is clear and demarcated for this generation. We try to capture the youth’s pulse with all the products we launch and also via the way we communicate with our audiences.
Our understanding of the demographic that we cater to has helped us strengthen our new product offerings and the Reflex category as a whole. As smart audio accessories become an integral part of the youth’s lifestyle, from work to studies to gaming, we wanted to cater to the requirement but in exciting ways. Thus, with Reflex Tunes we enter the hearable category, and the goal is to develop a fashionable and feasible tech product that addresses the requirements.
Today other than competition from other watch brands, there is a huge competition from various Fitness brands, how are you navigating through this? The last few campaigns have focused on fitness and fashion, the strategy, vision behind the approach, your thoughts?
The Reflex portfolio under Fastrack is a commitment to the fash-tech category which is a popular requirement for the young demographic who wants technology that also looks super fashionable. The goal is to respond to the fashion codes of GenZ and offer technology-relevant products. Today, fitness bands have become an inseparable part of young people’s lives, but one can still find it monotonous to wear the same thing with different looks every day.
Reflex 3.0 bridges that gap as the smart band comes in dual-tone which looks sleek and tech-forward on your wrist. Reflex 3.0 also offers 20 watch faces which can be matched with interchangeable straps to flaunt various looks for various occasions. It has a robust 10+ sports modes tracker ranging from yoga, running, hiking to cycling so that the consumer can adapt it to their fluid lifestyle.
Its full-touch color display allows music and camera control via touch. With 10-day battery life, Reflex 3.0 is water-resistant and is equipped with the Heart Rate Monitor along with a host of other features like a phone finder, sleep tracker, idle alert, and vibration alarm, and more, all of which is available at an affordable range of INR. 2495 only.
Our vision is to build the fash-tech offering to cater to the youth who is looking for feature-rich products with an edge. The new category launch of smart audio products with Reflex Tunes, and contactless payment band Reflex 2C along with the fashionable Reflex 3.0 are all in line with the youth’s requirement today.
Marketing initiatives, will there be more allocation for Digital?
In the last year, a primary shift for us was moving our medium of promotion and communicating with our audience from mainline to Digital. We have explored various channels for different communications, and are still going heavy on digital as we feel this is a platform that gives us an opportunity to engage with our audience as well. The digital medium is relevant to us as our TG is on their screens and the previous year has accelerated the digital consumption. For most of the recent campaigns, our approach was primarily an integrated marketing mix, led by digital included with the print, TV, and outdoor. The digital medium allows us to be relevant with our TG, who are digital natives, in real-time – from creating something fun and engaging with the product or through platform trends. On Digital, We have an always-on philosophy.
Focus on the brand in 2021?
Fastrack is betting big on this year and has huge plans to provide fashionable and authentic offerings as per their ever-evolving fashion sensibilities in a design language that appeals to Gen Z in both Analog and Reflex Cluster.
Within Reflex, this year will see various evolved products focusing on the fash-tech segment. We have planned a wide array of products to be launched in the coming few months that will address the needs of the youth, starting with the already available in market Reflex 3.0 and the entry into the wearables category with Fastrack Reflex Tunes.
Fastrack has big plans for the Reflex App in the future and plans to make it a part of consumers’ lifestyle by taking a holistic approach. This ‘State of the Art’ App, enhances the customer experience and helps them break out of their mundane fitness routine. Today’s consumer is losing interest with the fitness device due to lack of engagement. Fastrack aims at redefining consumer experience by personalizing content, defining daily activities, and rewarding them for adherence to their fitness goals. There is an ambitious plan with an implementation roadmap to offer new features to our consumers almost on a quarterly basis.
Among other lifestyle changes, COVID acted as a catalyst for the requirement of contactless payment due to social distancing norms. The youth is always an early adopter of any trend in terms of technology and they have become true cashless natives and hardly carry cash. Fastrack Reflex 2C in association with SBI is a contactless payment solution in form of a fashionable sleek fitness band for Gen Z. With the boost in demand for fashionable and smart fitness-related products Reflex 2 C acts as a bridge to both the worlds.
