Electrolux unveils new brand image; to splurge Rs 20 crore on communication

Rajeev Karwal means business. Immediately after taking over as CEO and managing director of Electrolux Kelvinator Ltd (EKL), Karwal has got down to the brass tacks. Topmost on his agenda is the task of correcting the consumer perception of Electrolux Kelvinator - the brand. As a first step in this direction, EKL, at a press conference in Delhi yesterday, unveiled a brand new positioning for its products as summed up by the line "Nurturing Hopes, Nourishing Life." "We would be spending about Rs 20 crore on communication and allied activities this year. O&M will continue to handle our brands," Karwal told agencyfaqs!.

The company will initially focus on refrigerators and washing machines before pushing the complete home appliances range later in the year. The new campaign for these two product categories will hit mass media soon and will simultaneously appear in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. EKL also plans to launch a "range" commercial - that will focus on the family and all its home appliances needs - sometime around October 2003. All the ads will use the same family, the underlying idea being that at EKL the family could find all the conveniences it hopes for.

The company informs that it has done a dipstick survey to gauge consumer reaction to its soon-to-be released ads. The survey, conducted with the help of IMRB among SEC A household in Delhi, had 85 per cent of the respondents saying that the new positioning made them feel that Electrolux products are more likely to meet their needs now than ever before. Of the same group, 83 per cent said they wanted to use the company's products given the new promise.

"The strategy now would be to push the powerful and relatable benefits of the products to consumers in a consistent manner," said Karwal. The company claims it has a market share of 20 per cent in refrigerators and 3.4 per cent in washing machines. It expects the market for refrigerators to grow by 12 per cent this year, while that of washing machines is likely to remain stagnant. © 2003 agencyfaqs!