Panasonic India announces Katrina Kaif as its new brand ambassador for the home appliances range
Panasonic India, the electronic products company, intends to make its presence felt in the home appliances segment as well. The company has reportedly set aside Rs 20 crore for the brand initiatives towards this end. Along with a new mascot, a robot named NRZ, it has also appointed screen scorcher Katrina Kaif as the brand ambassador for its home appliances range.
Panasonic has also launched a new TV commercial of 40 seconds duration, which will be run across all GECs soon.
Almost 60 per cent of the brand promotion budget will go into ATL (above the line) advertising, where equal importance will be given to TV and print. BTL (below-the-line) will consume another 30 per cent of the spending.
"In our pursuit to reach out to maximum number of consumers, we have already started initiatives such as road shows by demonstration vans and on the spot offers. The latest road show covered entire North India, including Jaipur, Delhi and Chandigarh. We are coming out with many more initiatives to expand our consumer base," says Suresh Kumar Bandi, head, sales and marketing (Aircon Business), Panasonic India.
Gaurav Minocha, product head, home appliances, Panasonic India says that about 10 per cent of the spend will go to out of home initiatives. "For OOH, we are targeting markets such as Kolkata, Mumbai and Ahmedabad," confirms Minocha.
The core focus of the brand initiative will be to create top of the mind recall value among consumers. Also, through the new campaign, Panasonic has tried to portray its products as 'real stars', beyond the other star rated products available in the market in terms of features and functionality.
Panasonic is also looking at setting up of manufacturing units in India by 2012.
Speaking on the occasion, Daizo Ito, chief executive officer, Panasonic India, says, "We are happy to have Katrina Kaif represent our home appliances range. Katrina not only epitomises the contemporary and sophisticated Indian woman but has a huge mass appeal and connects well with all cross-sections of society. She truly exemplifies Panasonic's culture of innovation and constant endeavour to strive for excellence. We hope this will lend a refreshing look to the brand."
Panasonic also introduced its new powerful range of air conditioners in the 1-2 ton capacity. It has launched five models - Inverter, Virus Fighter, Sapphire, Silver and Pearl - to serve both residential and commercial needs. The recently launched air conditioners are priced in the range of Rs 18,900- Rs 62,900.