"Today, smartphones define the lifestyle of the user": Ravinder Zutshi, Samsung India

In the India's Buzziest Brands list, brand Samsung has been at the top for the second consecutive year. It entered India in 1995, launching what it called 'World's Best TV' and taunted its rivals in its launch TV commercial. Samsung soon introduced its entire range of products, including refrigerators, washing machines and air conditioners.

This is one of those rare brands that have been in the Buzzies list for each of the nine years. For the first four years, however, it performed unimpressively, appearing in the bottom half of the list, and reached its low point in 2008 when it dropped to No. 49.

Though Samsung has an enormous suite of consumer products, the buzz comes most from its hot-selling range of mobile phones. afaqs! caught up with Ravinder Zutshi, deputy managing director, Samsung India Electronics, to understand what makes the brand achieve this sort of buzz and why smartphones as a product category is the buzziest in India.

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Samsung has successfully established itself as an aspirational brand in India by providing the most innovative products with the best possible technology to its consumers. In 2013, we introduced several new devices across categories such as smartphones, phablets and tablets to meet the growing consumer demand across diverse segments. We have grown our business significantly across categories by introducing several innovative and customised products in India including the entry-level segment with products like Star Pro and S Duos 2. Our flagship products, Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy S4 and Grand 2 were launched in 2013 in the premium segment along with Galaxy Gear, which created a wave in the wearable smartwatch segment. Samsung also unveiled captivating advertising campaigns, "Design Your Life" and "Make The Everyday Grand," to promote Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Gear and Grand 2 in India. All these have helped us achieve this feat.

At Samsung, our constant focus is on the consumers and their requirements. We also understand the importance of timely and relevant communication and we use all the available media in a creative and innovative manner. From mass reach through television commercials to a very strong presence on digital and social media, we also engage with our consumers extensively through our vast dealer and distribution network. I would believe that all these factors have contributed to our success.

From senior executives to businessmen, from technology enthusiasts to first-time users, from young professionals to students, we have products to meet every requirement. With the upsurge in mobile internet usage, smartphones, tablets and new technology concepts like smart watches are providing more ways for consumers to interact with their devices, both in urban as well as rural areas.

Smartphones today are much more than a device. They are defining the lifestyle of the user and offer incredible utility. They have transformed into multi-use devices which are being used both for content creation and consumption - anywhere, anytime. Consumers are able to enjoy content like books, music and videos, capture important moments of their life and share it instantly with friends and family, utilise apps to make their work more efficient - in essence, make their lives easier and fun through innovative technology. This high level of engagement and utility is making smartphones the preferred choice of consumers, making it one of the fastest-growing segments in India and the world.

Samsung is known for its technological prowess as well as innovative products across the board. We are the market leaders in several consumer durables categories as well as smartphones and tablets.

We have grown our business significantly across various segments including the entry segment with products like Star Pro and S Duos 2; in the mid-segment with the Galaxy Grand Portfolio; and in the premium segment with the S series and the Note series products. We also have a leadership position in the tablet market and have recently showcased a new line of innovative products. We will continue to focus on all segments of our business and launch new products and services to meet the diverse needs of our growing consumer base.

India is at the cusp of its digital revolution journey. The next phase of connected users will demand more mobile content and services in local languages across a range of smart devices at an affordable total cost of ownership. To make this happen, all players in the Indian ecosystem - device manufacturers, telecom operators, equipment and infrastructure providers, content and services players -along with the government - must work together.

We truly value our long-term relationship and are delighted with our continued success in partnering with Cheil, both in India and globally. We work closely with Cheil in devising strategic creative solutions to meet our evolving business needs.