We have doubled down our focus on the South & other regional markets: Krishna Raman, Bajaj Electricals

In conversation with Social Samosa, Krishna Raman from Bajaj Electricals sheds light on the brand's marketing strategy, the key focus areas and top trends in retail marketing as we move in 2022.

With the advent of winters in India, comes the relevance of food, clothes, and electrical appliances for warmth and comfort. We speak with Krishna Raman, President & Head Consumer Business, Bajaj Electricals Limited to understand the marketing trends during the season, retail marketing strategy, and tips for marketers on the road to 2022.

Edited Excerpts:

Please take us through the latest campaigns on Bajaj Water Heaters- How did it pan out? What kind of a role does the campaign play in helping the brand achieve its business objective?

With the winter season kicking in, the newly launched water heaters range is being promoted through an aggressive multi-media campaign. In fact, we have recently completed a lot of on-ground and off-ground activations for our varied product launches.

The recently launched TVCs for the brand are set up in a typical Indian household and highlight the solutions that today’s modern homes need. The TVCs bring out how Bajaj Water heaters are both - 'Safety mein no. 1 aur India ka  No. 1’. The first TVC about the 'Child Safety mode' projects the worries of a mother and her concerns for her child. The film expresses the mother’s efforts for her child who leaves no stone unturned to ensure there is no harm to her child.

The campaign running across TV, print and digital channels emphasizes the added safety measures introduced in the new models. With our targeted marketing campaigns and good distribution network, we have already witnessed reasonable demand for the newly launched models. As we move ahead with the winter season, the exact results of campaign will be better known.

Please take us through your media mix. What is your digital marketing strategy? Which social media platforms work the best for you?

Given that the winter season in India is the peak season for Water Heaters, we are expecting our ad campaign to support product sales performance greatly. The investment in innovation of advanced safety features and in large-scale campaigns across TV, print and digital channels we are expecting to strike the right chord with the consumers.

Social Media has the most traction as per the recent industry trends, so naturally a lot more emphasis is placed on the digital platforms. Connecting with the Indian consumer is incomplete without a TVC campaign as most Indians still consume the majority of their information from television as a medium. In addition to this, differentiated digital advertising mediums such as OTT are also a part of our mix.

What will be your regional marketing strategy going forward? From a hyperlocal perspective, what will be the role of vernacular to drive business objectives?

We cater to regional needs through product development, launching relevant products for the region.

South India is a different market altogether as it has multiple languages and requirements. Our focus is to communicate in the language relevant to the target audience and hence we have released ads shot exclusively for these markets, thus creating a higher connect.

Similarly, for print and digital too, we have doubled down our focus on south and other markets where we see scope to grow faster.

As a marketer – pre-COVID-19 & post-COVID-19 how has the consumer changed? What are the major changes that marketers need to bring about to evolve with the consumer?

The pandemic has changed the market dynamics and consumer preferences immensely. A large section of the consumers is spending very carefully now and expect value for the money spent. The offering that appeals to consumers in terms of utility stands to gain. The trend for online shopping is also picking up gradually and so we have to ensure a good online presence so that our consumers can find us wherever they go. After the pandemic, the element of human values and care has become much more significant. Marketers need to keep this is mind while chalking out strategies, especially for consumer products.

The pent-up demand which was evident during the first wave of COVID-19 has considerably slowed down in the second wave of COVID-19.

Also read: A rebranding strategy starts in alignment with business ambition: Geet Nazir, Conran Design Group

Bajaj Electricals Limited (BEL) will outsource its logistics requirements to Mahindra Logistics Limited (MLL) under a new deal. What can be expected from the strategic alliances? What else can we expect from the brand in the near future? Any expansion plans as the way forward?

Bajaj Electricals as a brand is catering to wide set of consumers, the brand is evolving and thus we have been actively working towards various strategic initiatives to enhance value for our customers and other stakeholders. This collaboration with Mahindra Logistics Limited is one such key initiative and we are confident that it will help transform our logistics, help us serve our customers efficiently, strengthen our competitiveness and also drive improved margins.

Top 3 retail marketing tips to drive sales post-festive season and for 2022.

• Continue developing new products especially during season times to keep up with the seasonal demands.
• Maximise productivity at each counter through effective promotional activities that enable efficient conversions of enquiries to sales.
• Creating strong value propositions for your customers in all key categories to retain leadership position.