How Classmate Became a Stationery Giant?

Which brand comes to your mind when you think about the most loved stationery product? It is an easy guess, Classmate. Classmate is not just a brand; it is an emotion for students.

It is a popular Indian stationery brand that has been ruling the world of students’ tools since the past two decades. But how has it become a stationery giant? Read the article till the end to know more about your favourite brand.

Classmate was launched by ITC ltd. in 2003 with its first product, notebooks. As the brand grew, a line of products including pens, pencils, erasers, sharpeners, math instruments, mechanical pencils were also launched.

What makes Classmate unbeaten?

Classmate’s unique selling points are comfort, neatness and design, and these make the brand unbeatable. Every product of the Classmate brand is one of its kind. The students of India are in awe of the quality of the products. 

Classmate notebooks and registers are the most favourite products of the students and the reason behind it is the exceptional pictures, quotes, puzzles, quizzes, facts and other games that are featured on front and back of these products. 

The pens and pencils of this brand are loved because of their ergonomic design, smooth and smudge-free writing experience and long-lasting nature. 

Classmate has been ruling students’ hearts not only because of its varied product range and quality. It has also applied various marketing strategies to boost its engagement with students and attract them to purchase the products. In 2018, Shailedra Tyagi, Classmate’s CEO announced to spend 5% of its turnover on marketing.

Here are the 3 most popular campaigns by Classmate:

There is no doubt because classmate products have become a status symbol in the school-going generation. Classmate has also pulled off various successful fundraising campaigns to aid the underprivileged children of the country, one being the ITC’s contribution of Rs 100 on the purchase of every 4 Classmate notebooks.

The advertisements of this brand have always struck a chord of the ‘student’ in an Indian with its engaging storyline, jingle, and tagline. In 2018, it launched a campaign with a tagline- Be Better than Yourself. One of those ad films featured a girl who scores better in Mathematics compared to the tests she took earlier but is still disappointed.

Her mother praises her and bakes a cake for performing better than yesterday. This ad film became a huge success and spread a strong message of ‘becoming one’s own competitor’ among the parents and their wards.

Classmate’s National Spell Bee contest with its 9 seasons is considered India’s biggest ever Spelling Competition. The contest rose to huge fame, bringing in the best talents from across the county and making the spelling game for students more fun and interesting. The winners are awarded with whopping cash prizes, goodies and international study tours.

Classmate brand and its products have proven its name by being a classmate and true friend of the students and continue to be their study partner. Tell us your reactions in the comment section below.