A fan that swings from side to side to forbid a politician from taking a bribe to one that helps in pushing a ball across the pitch sans a bat – manufacturers of this almost stagnant category are out to lure consumers this summer, with new campaigns and premium offerings.

The past two years has seen the ₹5,000-crore fans category record almost flat growth, at three to four cent, given the slow real estate market and weak consumer demand. The onset of summer has revived the spirits of fan majors like Usha, Bajaj, Orient and Havells, who are rolling out energy-efficient models in the hope that it leads to some fresh air in the sluggish segment.

Riding on hopes of a harsh summer ahead, fan makers are making sure their brands are visible across all media, and are ready to splurge with higher ad budgets. Brands like Usha and Havells are taking their cue from topical events like the elections and the Indian Premier League (IPL).

While Havells has its “clean politics and common man” campaign, and is using the elections as a platform to propagate its premium fans, Usha is riding the IPL wave in the hope that its ad will strike a new goal with potential consumers.

“The fans category needs to grow. Along with advertising campaigns, new technology is the only way to add sheen. We expect the category to pick up with more energy-efficient fans, priced 15 per cent higher than regular fans,” said Rohit Mathur, Senior Vice-President, Usha International.

He added that since the premium end of the category was likely to grow faster, the company had rolled out its “E-Series with aesthetic designs, and are also entering new licensing deals to bring in more cartoon characters on our fans.” A pioneer with its 65-year-old brand, Usha fans has unleashed new products developed at its ‘Usha air lab’ with the tagline “We play with air”. Bigger motors, increased blades with LED lights and more energy-efficient fans are expected to help the category grow.

“Fans belong to the must-have category, unlike air conditioners, in India, and have relatively low replacement demand. We want to change this by having more premium and aesthetically-designed fans to appeal to consumers with high disposable incomes,” added Mathur. Vijay Narayanan, Vice-President, Marketing, Havells India, concurs with the view. “Premium fans are in vogue, as the lower end of the fans category is now moving up the value chain. There are more designs and options in energy-efficient fans today. With the ongoing election theme, we expect our new ad campaigns to help sales rise from the current ₹700 crore to ₹1,000 crore this summer,” he said.

With fan manufacturers expecting the category to earn more premium, as consumers move away from the base price of ₹2,000 to ₹3,000 on each fan, Bajaj Fans too has decided to upgrade its premium portfolio.

CGS Mani, Executive President and Head, Fans, Bajaj Electricals, said, “Since the last two years have seen relatively flat growth, we want to upgrade our fan models and re-invent ourselves at the premium end, where growth is considerably faster. The summer looks good, and the category should grow at 12 -15 per cent.”

Bajaj recently launched a new campaign for its premium fans, which cost up to ₹20,000, and expects 25 per cent of its sales to come from this segment.

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