The PARX HUNT premiered in 2016
This unique music & youth IP conceived and designed for the Parx brand (from the house of Raymond) is a search and perform platform for the best young talents in independent music. The ones who set the tunes for the generation young. This wasn’t just a search for campus bands. It was a search for the voice of youth, the voices of tomorrow.
PARX HUNT was conceived to take the story of the Parx brand to the MBA and Engineering campuses in key markets. By appropriating a unique space in music and supporting young bands in college who are just starting out, it also creates a goodwill for the brand among the student and the music fraternity.
Parx, a lifestyle brand from the Raymond Group, reflects the persona of the energetic youth who is expressive, outgoing, dynamic and lives his life to the fullest. Parx reflects the pulse of the new generation which looks at clothing as an expression of its attitude and vibrancy. And music is often than more, the voice of the youth, resonating perfectly with the spirit of the brand. Parx, has always been at the forefront of fashion for young people, often being innovative and at the ring-side of change.
The campus has always been a hallowed ground for the power of youth. Where young and bold ideas, expressive visions and changemakers of the times to come hold sway. Management and engineering campuses across key markets which groom tomorrow’s newsmakers, were a fantastic arena to discover the most compelling music makers. PARX HUNT was imagined and conceived to infuse and resonate this spirit of the brand with the campus communities. By appropriating a unique space in music and supporting young enterprising bands in colleges who are just warming up for the grand stages. Thereby building an experiential platform that unleashes new talent and the voices of goodwill among students. And the music fraternity, that awaits its next stars.
The idea was simple. Let the content and the platform allow the experience of a brand (Parx) and its spirit. A platform that was unique and had multi-dimension potential to grow with time.
The Format
The Hunt begins with on-ground activation across 150+ colleges where fun activities and games happen to promote the Hunt and the brand Parx. Information is submission dates etc and the college bands and musicians also get notified.
All entries need to be uploaded in video format or sent as a audio entry on parxhunt.com . A panel of jury selects the one top band from each of the four regions, norht east, south and west. The four shortlisted bands are invited to play for the regional finale which also happens in a college campus. The jury consists of musicians, producers, music journalists, music professionals. The regional finals feature the four bands and a headliner band with the jury rating them on their live performance. Last year the regional finales happened in Calcutta Medical College, IMT Ghaziabad, BITS Pilani Hyderabad and SCMHRD, Pune. The winning band of each of the regional finals travel to Mumbai for the Grand Finale.
The first two seasons – a sign of the times to come
The first year saw a humble beginning as we searched for a brand Anthem for Parx. Over 60 musicians across the country sent us 40 sec tracks, original tracks. to contend for the best anthem for Parx. And the response was overwhelming.
Grand finale 2016
The grand finale for year 2016 was held at Hard Rock Cafe, Worli, Mumbai. A packed house saw performances by Parvaaz and also by Luke Kenny & his Band.
Grand Finale 2017
The second year grand finale took place at the Worli Hard Rock Cafe where five of the regional finalists performed with headlining act Underground Authority from Kolkata bringing the house down. Mumbai college band 'Across Seconds' won the finale bagging the top prize. As an audience of more than 800 enthusiasts filled Hard Rock to enjoy the music, brand Parx got to interact with these audiences.
Social campaigns, radio promotions and innovative direct approaches were adopted to engage with fans seeding the spirit of the Parx Hunt. The mood was campus, leveraging fan bases of bands, colleges and contests, to spread the good word or should we say good music.
A few awards on the way...
Parx Hunt has received a few awards endorsing the model, the efficiencies and the effectiveness of the IP and its marketing legs. The most recent one has been for Marketing Excellence from the Times Network. The biggest award however remains the sheer love and support amongst the fans and the campuses.
Season 2018, here we come
The 3rd season has already rolled in 2018 and the scale has only gotten bigger. Parx Hunt is targeting more than 200 colleges for activations and also spreading out geographically to newer locations. This year each of the regional bands will also get to interact with one mentor from their city who will help them prepare for the finale with technical tips and support.
The band will spend a day at the studio with the mentor, practising and honing their skills and get set for the big stage finale. While there are several ideas in motion to compound the brand experience and the IP, the core drivers remain at the centre of excitement. How purposeful value is created for the youth communities, participating bands and campuses, while building relevance for the brand and its business. As less often said, good business is good music.
The 3rd Season of Parx Hunt started in August 2018. The hunt is on. For the best college band again.