Neha Kalra
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It's real: Here's a Merc along with your villa

Everyone's talking about the deal on offer from the Bengaluru based Orange Group: a villa for Rs 69 lakh, with a Mercedes Benz thrown in for free. afaqs! checks out whether it’s too good to be true

You may have seen an ad running on television channels and in leading newspapers since last week. The ad offers a villa in Bengaluru for Rs 69 lakh. More interestingly, the advertiser, Orange Properties, offers a Mercedes Benz free with the villa. The only condition is that the buyer has to make a down payment of Rs 10 lakh.

It's real: Here's a Merc along with your villa
The condition seems paltry in comparison to the offer which combines a Merc with a villa, both for just Rs 69 lakh. Too good to be true? afaqs! thought of checking out the deal.

Interestingly enough, the offer is for real. The company is offering a Mercedes Benz C Class 200K. R Vijay, chief executive officer, Orange Group, claims that out of a total of 130 villas, the company has already sold 50 villas – and cars – since it put out the ad.

Considering the total number of villas up for sale, the company plans to rake in a moolah of almost around Rs 90 crore. The on-road cost of a Mercedes Benz C Class 200K in Bengaluru is Rs 33.44 lakh. That would imply that the effective cost of a villa is less than Rs 36 lakh?

Vijay clarifies that the scheme is viable because Orange Properties has bought the Mercs at a much cheaper rate than their market price, but he declined to reveal the actual price.

It's real: Here's a Merc along with your villa
The Mumbai based agency, Six Inches Communications, has helped Orange Properties execute the ad campaign nationally.

Pravin Shah, head, Six Inches, informs us that as part of the first phase of the campaign, the group had launched a teaser campaign that talked about the price factor to generate interest. The teaser campaign ran for two days. The ad that revealed the details of the offer was released beginning December 25.

Orange Properties claims to have spent around Rs 2.5 crore on the campaign – Rs 2 crore on print and another Rs 50 lakh on television. It also claims that it has allotted a budget of Rs 1.5 crore for the second phase of the campaign.

The company claims to have received an overwhelming response to the campaign. It has received 75,000 calls, of which it has been able to attend to only 15,000 due to lack of manpower. It has also received 20 applications for the villas online, on its website, www.orangegroupworld.com.

It's real: Here's a Merc along with your villa
The purchase offer, which was to end on December 27 originally, will now end on January 4. Starting the second phase of the campaign, Orange Properties has come out with a print ad in the leading dailies today, informing people that the offer has been extended.

Orange Properties runs four businesses – holidays, electronics, furniture, and construction and property. Currently, it has an office only in Bengaluru, but plans to enter Hyderabad soon.

The villas and luxury apartments are a part of Orange Township, which also contains economy houses and row houses. The township is located in Devanahalli, which, because of its proximity to the Bangalore International Airport, is a prime location.

After creating a buzz in Bengaluru with this offer, Orange Properties now plans to hit Hyderabad with a similar one. It is putting up a township for sale in that city and also setting up an office there in two-three weeks, reveals Vijay.

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