King Khan endorsing Pen!

Linc Pen and Plastics is all set to rope in shahrukh khan as its brand ambassador. "We want to aggressively market our brand in the western region where Shahrukh is popular and it is possible only through brand endorsements," said company MD Deepak Jalan.

Mr Jalan, however, declined to quantify the endorsement fee that King Khan would get. "We will spend Rs.8 crore this year for advertising and marketing," he said.

Linc accounts for less than 5 per cent of the Rs.504-crore western India market for writing instruments. Pan-India, the company has an 8-9 per cent marketshare with Cello and Reynolds being the major competitors. The pen industry in India is worth Rs.2,100 crore, Mr. Jalan said.

Like all other sectors, the pen industry in India is also hit by rising input costs. Mr. Jalan said the company would keep in mind raw material prices, which have gone up 10-15 per cent, while launching new products. Linc is expected to launch a premium segment pen this year.

Linc is also looking at exports to the Middle East and to South American countries after facing the impact of US and UK slowdown. The company's exports totalled Rs.39 crore last fiscal year. Linc sells 1.5 million pens daily of which about a fifth is exported. It's total revenue is Rs.177.20 crore.