Mirc Electronics charts new route with Onida Profile

agencyfaqs! News Bureau

MUMBAI, August 30

Mirc Electronics is hoping to leave a mark with its new range of colour televisions. In a major shift from the traditional route for television marketing, Mirc Electronics has opted for direct marketing, to promote its latest product Onida Profile, which will be launched in the first week of September. The Profile series includes three designer models and is billed the Gulliano Bellini Designer Series.

Profile is the latest addition to the company's current brand portfolio which comprises Onida Candy and Onida Igo. Onida Profile, priced at Rs 16,500, blocks the mid-size segment of the market, with the company already armed with Igo in the non-premium segment and Candy and KY Thunder in the premium end of the market.

Onida, which became synonymous with the sniggering Devil, hopes to showcase its new range thorough celebrity endorsements - but with a difference. The company has roped in celebrities like Shahrukh Khan, Dilip Piramal, Anand Mahindra, Sachin Tendulkar, Juhi Chawla, to name a few, with the new initiative.

Mirc Electronics chief operating officer G Sundar told reporters in Mumbai that the company will directly sell the product to "high-flyers" in the city. At a later stage, Mirc Electronics will release testimonial ads by the celebrities to promote the series.

Sundar added that the USP of the Profile range is its aesthetic appeal, which will complement the lifestyles of high flyers. "In the mid-price segment, it's an ideal choice for anyone who wants to have a second TV set at home," he said. The launch of the series will be backed up with a huge ad blitz for which the company has set aside a budget of Rs 8 crore.

The Profile launch is aimed at revitalizing the Onida brand, which has a 13 per cent share of the Rs 5,500-crore CTV market currently. "Onida Profile will have a new cabinet which is designed by Gulliano Bellini, a leading Italian designer. With designs on its front panels, Profile is the first of its kind in the Indian as well as international CTV markets,'' claims Sundar.

In the first phase, the company plans to launch only three models of the new range. "After studying the response of the first three models, the company will launch more designs in the second phase. Six months down the line, we will also try to cater to individual tastes,'' says Sundar.

To start with, the company plans to roll out the new range in Mumbai. "By September end, the new model will be available at the company's 4,000-odd dealer outlets across the country," he added.

To support its non-traditional media promotions, the company will launch a nationwide print and television campaign in the second week of September 2000. Created by Ogilvy & Mather Advertising, the ad campaigns will harp on the exclusive panel designs of the new product.

As part of the current brand revamp strategy, the company plans to spin off its sub-brands Igo, Candy and Profile into independent brands by next year.

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