The Hindu Business Line : Onida sees 10 pc growth in March

SALES of Onida colour televisions increased moderately by 10 per cent to 80,000 units in March 2004, as against the previous month, much in contrast to the sales projections of Consumer Electronics and TV Manufacturers' Association (CETMA), built around the ongoing India-Pakistan cricket series.

According to Mr V. Chandramouli, Vice-President (Sales, Marketing & Service), Mirc Electronics, "This rise in March sales could be attributed to Onida's excellent performance in February, following effective promotion of `Onida Fast Forward,' our exchange offer scheme, rather than the India-Pakistan cricket-driven buying spree."

Mr Chandramouli said: "I think the projections made by CETMA were too optimistic. Even during the World Cup cricket series held last year, the market could not touch 10 lakh units in a single month.

Hence, to expect 10 lakh units from this India-Pakistan cricket series, especially when it clashes with examination time, was sheer over-projection by CETMA."

March has rarely been a good time for the CTV industry with tax worries and exam blues affecting most buying decisions. So anything less than a razzle-dazzle event wouldn't result in a growth driver for the television industry.

The India-Pakistan cricket series did have a modest impact on the sales of televisions. The industry witnessed around 20-25 per cent growth in sales in March, yet this looked good only because of poor CTV sales figures recorded by most companies in February, Chandramouli said.

Advertising too didn't make a better media proposition because ad rates of Rs 4 lakh per 10 seconds were quoted beyond proportion, considering that the World Cup cricket held last year had ad rates of around Rs 1.5 lakh per 10 seconds.

The only offering by Onida for this current cricket series was the three-year warranty offer on TVs that hit the ground running.

This was more on the lines of the consumer promotion scheme `Onida, World Cup to World Cup warranty' during the World Cup last year, under which anyone buying a TV during the 2003 World Cup was eligible for a warranty up to the next World Cup in 2007.

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