Camlin to write a new chapter with launch of notebooks and Campus series

Kolkata: Home-grown stationery brand Camlin (now Kokuyo Camlin) — the choice in fountain pen ink, geometry boxes, pencils and crayons — is now looking to recreate the magic with its notebooks.

Notebooks from Camlin, already present in the Southern and some Western markets, will make a full-fledged appearance nationally by 2015.

According to Saumitra Prasad, Chief Marketing Officer of Kokuyo Camlin, told Business Line that a likely national foray is being mulled from the next academic session.

Priced between Rs. 45 and Rs. 100, he said the notebooks will compete with ITC’s “Classmate” brand.

Currently, Camlin-branded notebooks have been introduced in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu; and in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Also being explored is the possibility of introducing premium notebooks under Kokuyo’s “Campus” brand.

As the name suggests, the company will target college-goers. Price-points are yet to be decided.

Stationery Market

According to sources, the current school stationery market in India is estimated at Rs. 12,000 crore. The Mumbai-headquartered company came into existence in 1931. Promoted by the Dandekar family, one of its first products was the Camel branded fountain pen ink. The iconic camel logo made its way to product packages as late as 1946.

In 2012, Japan’s Kokuyo S&T acquired a majority stake in Camlin and renamed it Kokuyo Camlin Ltd. Popular product brands Camel and Camlin were retained post the acquisition.

Marketing strategy

Meanwhile, as a conscious strategy Camlin is targeting school-goers with its range of new stationery, especially mechanical pencils (also called pen-pencils) and cartridge-enabled fountain pens.

The idea is to present itself as an “aspirational brand” even while catering to the entry-, mid- and premium-segments.

“Nowadays kids have a say in deciding on school stationery. So our advertisements and marketing campaigns will target not just teachers and parents but kids as well,” he added.

Plans are also afoot to tap institutional sales if the need arises. Shares of Kokuyo Camlin closed at Rs. 37.80, 3.85 per cent up, at the BSE on Monday.

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.