Bata India's senior vice-president Edward Tkachuk said the company had signed on Mukerji in order to contemporise the Bata brand and also to further the image and identity of the brand in the country. Tkachuk told eFE that the company was in a ``transition mode'' and was in the process of consolidating the Bata brand in India and 62 other countries across six continents. ``Our brand building and other promotional activities are aimed at recapturing the customer base,'' he said.

Across the globe, Bata currently has 5,200 own outlets and 1,00,000 franchise stores of which 1,500 and 10,000 are in India,respectively. The brand has presence in the country since 1931.

Tkachuk said with a view to positioning the Bata brand more effectively, the company had segmentised its products under three categories-economy, middle income and top end.

The economy segment provided a wide range of value-for-money products, middle-income category aimed at customers who looked for style, comfort and durability while top brand targeted customers who (the 10 per cent top bracket) looked for branded footwear in international styles, he said. The easy-to-wear Sundrops range was introduced in India in Septemberlast year.

Tkachuk said sales of Sundrops have shot up with Rani Mukerji's campaign. ``Rani Mukerji embodied customers' perception of the true Bata Girl,'' he said. However, he did not reveal any figures. With Bata, Rani Mukerji has been travelling across the country since October last year.

Bata had also signed on EuroRSCG, the Indian arm of New York-based advertising agency for promotional activities.