Q] Can you shed light on the marketing mix of Orient Electric and the mediums used by the brand for its campaigns?
We are a mass-value brand, and we usually follow an integrated marketing approach. Our primary medium for reach is TV, but we also use Print effectively in certain cases as an add-on medium. Lately, there has been a lot of focus on the use of Digital, and if you look at the marketing mix, at least 25% of our total spends is now going there. The build-up of e-commerce for appliances is becoming important in the customer decision journey, and platform buying is now a reality. We are resorting to newer ways of exploring more sharply targeted audiences. Younger audiences and women are being targeted through Digital mediums, right from social commerce to e-commerce platforms to DSPs—everything is used in the mix.
Q] What was the reason behind the message of spreading joy in your latest campaign?
The message of spreading joy stems from the core ethos of Orient Electric. If you look at our purpose, it is to spread happiness through the smart application of technology. The festive season is the right time to spread joy, happiness and gratitude, and we have created a cheerful and heartfelt film around it. There is nobody who embodies that spirit better than MS Dhoni, he’s been a longstanding brand ambassador of ours.
Q] How is your association with MS Dhoni working for the brand?
Orient Electric is a 68-year-old brand. We are a trusted old brand, and yet we are modern and relevant in today’s time. We offer a host of products and they appeal to a large segment of consumers. When we evaluate a brand ambassador, universal appeal plays a crucial role. Whether you love cricket or not, MS Dhoni is widely recognised and has a universal appeal. He also has a stature that fits our brand. With all the positive brand values that we embody, whether it is humility or passion, MSD is a true representation. We are one of the first brands that Dhoni has been associated with, and it is a longstanding and fond association.
Q] What kind of content and creative formats do you use while creating the new campaigns?
When we look at a new campaign, the most important thing for us is cultural insight or consumer insight, and that’s when formats evolve. We try to take it across formats and consumers because we are a mass and mass-premium brand. When we talk about the current campaign of Joylite, there’s a strong play of TV and Digital. The social platforms are geo-targeted largely to places where we have a demand for these products and also a salience for Orient. We are also present on all e-commerce platforms, and you will see festive lights available across these platforms. In this season, we’ve also started doing special gift boxes as per popular demand from last year, because if you look at Joylite as a category, there are very few organised players that offer high-quality lights. This is because most of us have been using Chinese lights. Hence, we have started with festive gift boxes as part of this campaign.
Q] What steps are you taking to scale up the Digital footprint of your consumer electric business?
If you look at Digital business per se, I think there are two parts. Everybody is excited about e-commerce, saying all categories are now available on e-commerce and customers can purchase from there. There is a definite scale-up that we are doing in terms of our e-commerce business, and we are growing almost 100% year-on-year. We do marketing whenever we need to scale up demand in those channels, and that is largely led by performance marketing. However, if you look at the customer decision journey for small appliances, they start with Digital. Therefore, a lot of our other spending on the funnel, which is largely the top funnel, is starting on Digital. This is why, if you see, while our business on Digital maybe 10 to 15%, the actual consumer decision-making is more than 30 to 40%, and that’s the kind of direction that we have taken in our marketing investments in the last couple of years.
PROFILE
Anika Agarwal is a seasoned marketing leader with a rich experience of more than two decades in marketing, digital transformation, and direct-to-consumer business across industries including consumer durables, retail, telecom, and insurance. She currently serves as Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer at Orient Electric and manages all aspects of the Orient Brand, supporting growth and expansion across business units with a strong focus on Digital enablement and customer-centricity.
ABOUT THE BRAND
Orient Electric Limited is part of the diversified USD 2.8 billion CK Birla Group. A distinguished name in the consumer electrical space for more than 68 years, Orient Electric has established itself as a one-stop provider of fans, lighting, home appliances, switchgear, and other electrical solutions. In the domestic market, Orient Electric has a well-organised distribution network reaching 1,25,000 retail outlets and a strong service network covering more than 450 cities. In addition to India, the company enjoys a market presence in more than 30 countries.
FACTS
PR Agency: Genesis BCW
Media Agency: Lodestar UM
Creative Agency: BBDO India
