Onida pitch: Three agencies contesting to play devil’s advocate

The ‘devilish’ brand, Onida, is in the midst of pitches for two of its products – colour televisions and DVD players. According to informed industry sources, the size of the business is about Rs 30 crore. Says Vivek Sharma, vice-president, marketing, sales and service, MIRC Electronics, “At this point, we want to take a fresh look at our creatives, perhaps with different ideas and execution routes. However, our strategy, involving the legendary devil, will not change.”

The pitch has three agencies in the fray, McCann-Erickson, Contract, and the incumbent, Rediffusion DY&R. At present, Rediffusion handles MIRC Electronics’ complete portfolio, with the exception of its economy range of CTVs, Igo, which is with Everest Brand Solutions. Irrespective of the results of this pitch, Rediffusion will continue to handle the rest of MIRC’s range, which is not under review.

Then, in 2004, Rediffusion DY&R was brought aboard to re-launch the devil, giving him a more contemporary, stylish look – a move that the company claims fetched the brand an immediate 1.5 per cent increase in market share. At present, Onida’s overall market share stands at 10.5 per cent. “Despite his absence for six years, the devil managed to generate high brand recall, which is why we decided to bring him back in 2004,” says Sharma. Since its re-launch, the brand’s taglines have changed several times. Moving from the initial ‘Ab Badlega Zamana’ to ‘May Cause Envy’, the brand has finally settled upon ‘Nothing but the Truth’ now.

According to brand specialist Jagdeep Kapoor, chairman and managing director, Samsika Marketing Consultants, the withdrawal of the devil for six long years created a discontinuity in the brand’s connect with its audience. Furthermore, he says, the devil’s original statement, ‘Neighbour’s Envy, Owner’s Pride’, was such a powerful catchphrase that it should have been continued even after the re-launch. “This is a classic case of fatigue being experienced, not by the consumers, but by the marketers themselves,” Kapoor says. “Onida perhaps jumped the gun too soon in an effort to revamp the brand’s positioning.” He points out that statements such as ‘May Cause Envy’ symbolise hesitancy, uncertainty and tentativeness.

Sharma of MIRC Electronics is undeterred. “The devil’s return has nothing to do with our calling for a pitch,” he says, adding that that was prompted by the need for a fresher creative rendition on the same strategy (which revolves around the newly styled devil).

The result of the pitch is expected soon.

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