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Rina Chandran

MUMBAI, April 24

COLDER air, healthier air, heaven indoors ... how about a heavier air conditioner?

That's just one creative route that TV heavyweight Onida is taking in the advertising for its debut air-conditioners. The advertising, created by McCann-Erickson, which also has the Onida washing machines account, is based on the positioning, Itna Hi-Fi ki hawa lag jaye, which makes a play on the words to suggest both, cooling and getting an uppity attitude.

The TV spot plays up the emotional side to owning an AC, while the print ads get into the product details. The creative route came of the realisation that an AC is still an item of luxury, and that most AC ads only harp on the cooling factor.

"Everyone is talking in a very narrowcast manner about specific features, and about the cooling - but cooling is taken for granted by the consumer," said Mr V. Chandramouli, Vice-President (Sales, Marketing & Service), MIRC Electronics, which makes and markets Onida. "And ACs go beyond functional benefits - for the consumer, it means a serious upgrade in life and a major social statement, like buying a car. So we decided to focus on that."

The TV spot shows a young girl who is thrilled at getting a dress from a relative; she runs into her room and preens with it. But as she is hit by the breeze from the AC, she suddenly changes her mind and turns up her nose at the dress, which she hands over to her maid, who uses it as a mopping cloth. "We wanted to create some excitement, so we looked at what ACs mean to people and dramatised that," said Mr Prasoon Joshi - Executive Vice-President & National Creative Director, McCann-Erickson India. "So the ad really says what the consumer thinks, that your standards become higher with an AC."

Onida is launching a range of six window and three split ACs this year, and hopes to sell about 50,000 units, about half of them to its existing TV customers, Mr Chandramouli estimated. The company will extend its range next year, and hopes to garner a market share of 10 per cent. The market for window and split ACs is about 8 lakh units, and is growing at over 20 per cent annually; urban penetration is only about 2-3 per cent, currently.

The ad budget for Onida ACs and washing machines - slated for launch in June - is about Rs 12-14 crore. One print ad for ACs reads, "New rules of AC buying: Weight it before you buy it." The copy explains that the added weight of the Onida AC - about 10-15 kg more than some competitors - translates into greater durability. There is also a comparison table with LG and Voltas, which shows how features such as an LCD remote and a higher fan motor rating give the benefits of easier operation and greater air throw in an Onida AC.

"This is a `thinking' category - people do their home work, and listen to word of mouth," Mr Joshi said. "But advertising builds an image for the product, and only if the image is right will people even consider the product. And anyone who is considering buying an AC will also read the print ads closely."

There is also a Rs 40-lakh direct marketing exercise targeting Onida's existing customer base of 5 million; in Mumbai, customers are being offered an extended warranty on their TV sets on the purchase of an AC.

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