Enterprise Nexus bags Fedders air-conditioner account

Enterprise Nexus, Delhi, has bagged the advertising account of Fedders' air-conditioners following a three-way pitch. This is the first time that Fedders has aligned its advertising business in India with an agency. The reason being, the company's business in India is barely a year old.

The company was not willing to disclose the names of the two other agencies in the contention for the business or the size of the account. It seems the brief for the agencies was to make a presentation on the advertising mix to support the launch of Fedders' air-conditioners in India. Enterprise Nexus made a creative-cum-strategy presentation and bagged the business after going through three rounds of pitching.

The London-based Lowe group agency was the obvious choice because "…Enterprise Nexus has a good knowledge of the consumers durables market and the presentation it made was closest to what we had in mind for Fedders," says Arvind Mayar, director, India Middle East & Africa, Fedders International Air-Conditioning.

Excited about the gain, Mohammed Khan, chairman & creative director, Enterprise Nexus Communications, says, "Enterprise has always looked at brands with a perspective which combines deep consumer insights with a flair for penetrative strategies. I am positive that the Enterprise team will once again be able to live up to its commitment, as it has done in the past."

Much of the advertising plans for Fedders are in the preliminary stages. What is certain is that the advertising would be print-led. Television has been ruled out for the time being because the company is not targeting satellite cities and towns. But this very young company has chalked out a very ambitious plan for itself. "Fedders is among the top 10 global companies. Here in India, within three to five years we are gunning for the same position," says a confident Mayar. His confidence stems from his product line-up, he says. "We would offer the latest products, with great quality and sleek design at competitive prices. And that should work," he adds

The product portfolio of Fedders comprises air-treatment products, such as air-conditioners, air cleaners, dehumidifiers and thermal technology products. By the second or the third quarter of the year 2002, the company plans to launch an extensive range of window and spilt air-conditioners. Initially, the launch will happen in the four metropolitan cites of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.

Fedders has tied up with Voltas to set up its production facility, which is in Dadra (western coast). So far, an investment of $15 million has gone into setting up the production facility. Currently, most of the components are imported and just some assembly is done at the production unit.

But facing the 6 lakh -7 lakh-units-per year air-conditioners market is not going to be easy for the company. First, it is a competitive market, with major players such as LG and Hitachi dominating the market with a major advertising and marketing blitz. Second, the company has yet to put is dealers network in place. With summers on in full blast, the company needs to work hard to get its act together. Right now the company is test marketing its products to decide on the next phase of its advertising plans. © 2002 agencyfaqs!