Trade shows as marketing touchpoints? Schneider Electric says yes

In the sprawling exhibition halls of ELECRAMA 2025—the world's largest electrical trade show—Schneider Electric's presence was impossible to miss. With three distinctive booths spread across the venue, including the two largest in the entire exhibition, the France-based digital automation and energy management company made sure the footfalls kept pouring in amidst competitive showboating in the arena. 

The brand's presence in the trade show itself represented a carefully orchestrated marketing strategy that balanced two distinct brand identities: globally recognised Schneider Electric and recently acquired and rebranded Lauritz Knudsen (formerly L&T Switchgear), each targeting different segments of India's diverse electrical market. And as per the brand, these events play a crucial role in its larger marketing mix.

Commanding presence at ELECRAMA

"This is the event," emphasises Rajat Abbi, chief marketing officer of Schneider Electric India, gesturing to the bustling crowds that have surpassed previous attendance numbers by "two to three times" compared to the 2023 edition.

For Schneider, ELECRAMA represents more than just an exhibition—it's a critical marketing platform where "customers, partners, and influencers come to see what's new" in electrical innovation.

 The company's exhibition strategy reflects its market positioning. Schneider Electric occupied the largest booth in the event, while Lauritz Knudsen commanded the second-largest space. A third booth housed ETAP, a software company within the Schneider group.

"Our theme this year at ELECRAMA for the Schneider Electric brand is 'Innovation for Sustainability'"

Rajat Abbi, Schneider Electric 

This physical footprint translates into significant brand visibility, reinforced by Schneider's Global CEO Olivier Blum delivering the keynote address during the event's inauguration.

"Our theme this year at ELECRAMA for the Schneider Electric brand is 'Innovation for Sustainability'," explains Abbi.

He adds that Schneider serves as the official sustainability partner for ELECRAMA 2025—a position that aligns with the company's global recognition as "the most sustainable company in the world" by sustainable economy magazine Corporate Knights, an accolade it has received twice.

Influencer ecosystem and word-of-mouth strategy

A notable shift in this year's exhibition was the increased presence of influencers. "We're seeing a lot of micro-influencers— some specialising in switches, some on smart homes," Abbi observes.

This trend has been incorporated into Schneider's marketing approach, which now leverages a tiered influencer strategy spanning "macro influencers, micro, and also nano-influencers", tailored not just for B2C segments but also for B2B, where "contractors who have a strong influence in the community play a crucial role," Abbi explains.

These influencers contribute to the word-of-mouth marketing that trade shows such as ELECRAMA facilitate—creating an ecosystem where industry stakeholders become brand advocates. 

The company's approach to these events goes beyond creating impressive booths; it's about "creating a strong pull" through integrated marketing campaigns that precede and follow the exhibition itself.

Dual brand strategy: Complementary yet distinct

The marketing approach for Schneider's two primary brands represents a focus on portfolio management. While both operate within the electrical space, their positioning and marketing strategies differ significantly.

Lauritz Knudsen, rebranded from L&T Switchgear in 2024, balances heritage with renewal. "In just six months, we've been able to create a very strong brand equity already for Lauritz Knudsen," Abbi says. 

The brand's marketing mix heavily favours above-the-line (ATL) activities, including high-profile sponsorships like being the principal partner of the Mumbai Indians IPL team.

The brand also sponsored the popular television show KBC during its launch phase and plans "a very strong and a big integrated marketing campaign" when the IPL goes live.

For Lauritz Knudsen, Abbi describes "a strong and healthy mix of investments on both ATL and digital, but complemented hugely by BTL".

The agricultural sector represents "a big business" for the brand, necessitating a lot of agri activations and below-the-line activities, alongside retail branding and electrician loyalty programmes operated through platforms like WhatsApp.

In contrast, Schneider Electric adopts a more targeted approach, focusing on "nine to ten personas" ranging from end consumers to distributors, panel builders, retailers, electricians, and systems integrators.

The brand allocates "60 to 70 percent of marketing spends" to digital channels, leveraging "all the digital marketing tools" available.

Digital transformation and AI-driven marketing

Schneider's digital-first approach reflects broader changes in marketing strategy. "When digital was not very big, a lot of investments used to happen on ATL and BTL," Abbi reflects. The shift to digital offers advantages in agility and measurability—"you are able to track the return on investment on digital marketing in a much more simplified and easier way".

The company's digital ecosystem includes a comprehensive presence across social media platforms, proprietary channels such as the My Schneider app for specific personas, WhatsApp for Business targeting key stakeholders, and sophisticated programmatic buying powered by artificial intelligence. 

"This AI-driven approach ensures that the right message reaches the right stakeholder at the right time," Abbi points out.

Internally, AI tools enhance the marketing team's productivity, allowing them to run sharper campaigns. The company continues to "explore more and more tools" as they become available, maintaining its position at the cutting edge of digital marketing.

Sustainability as competitive advantage

Sustainability forms the cornerstone of Schneider's brand identity.

"Schneider Electric has sustainability in its DNA," Abbi asserts, pointing to the company's Schneider Sustainability Impact (SSI) programme, which aligns with the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals and even links executive compensation to achieving sustainability targets.

This commitment manifested physically in the company's ELECRAMA booth, described as "a fully sustainable booth" that utilises mud walls, cork wood flooring, and bamboo instead of traditional wood.

 "What we are trying to demonstrate is that even in the biggest electrical show in the world, where we have to create a deep and big impact on our stakeholders, we can still be responsible" 

Rajat Abbi, Schneider Electric

This approach resonates with evolving consumer preferences. "People genuinely want to buy products or go for brands which are climate-conscious," Abbi notes, citing both internal and independent research indicating that customers are willing to pay extra to buy products from companies that are sustainable.

B2C-focused innovations

Both brands are expanding their B2C offerings to capture this sustainability-conscious market. Schneider Electric's Wiser 2.0 home automation solution has been localised for the Indian market and made "much more price competitive" to accelerate technology adoption.

The brand has also launched Miluz ZeTa switches with an innovative "inbuilt air quality indicator," responding to air quality concerns in Indian cities. Similarly, Lauritz Knudsen offers enConnect, a smart home automation solution for consumers trying to convert their homes to tech-enabled smart homes.

As per Gabbi, these innovations reflect a broader consumer trend where "people want the latest stuff in India" and "no longer want to be behind people living in developed countries". 

Schneider's extensive R&D presence in India—with 6,000 of its 38,000 Indian employees working in research and development—positions the company to respond to these locally relevant demands.

Future outlook

Looking ahead, Schneider Electric plans to "invest heavily on ATL this year, especially on the B2C business" across both brands, while also rolling out targeted campaigns around open automation software for industrial automation. 

The company's ambition is clear: "to continuously strengthen our leading market position" in India's electrical landscape.

As consumer preferences continue to evolve towards sustainability and digitalisation, Schneider's dual-brand strategy—combining Schneider Electric's innovation-led positioning with Lauritz Knudsen's heritage and mass-market appeal—appears well-positioned to capitalise on these trends, reinforcing its market leadership through a carefully calibrated marketing approach that balances digital precision with high-visibility brand building.