MUMBAI: Music will be an important marketing and promotional platform for mobile handset manufacturer Micromax. The brand which currently has 6.3 per cent market share in India is hugely promoting its campaigns in the music platform. The handset maker associated with Sunburn 2012 Festival to promote its Canvas camera smartphone followed by US rapper Snoop Dogg’s January tour in India.
Speaking with Radioandmusic.com Micromax chief marketing officer Shubodip Pal said that music was an integral part of company’s promotional vertical along with movies and sports (MMS strategy) to push the Micromax brand among consumers in the Rs 312.15 billion market (FY 2011-12) .
“We recently associated Micromax with Sunburn Fest and the reaction was phenomenal. Though the artist line-up was the weakest, the turnout was strong. The MMS is the pillar for us and each vertical gets an equal 30 per cent of investment,’ he said.
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“The youth market is an important market for us and we are dividing the market along age segments for more effective connection with the target groups. What a 24-25 year old wants or needs may not be the same as the wants of a 25-30 year old. We have to account for all that.”
Another important reason for Micromax to step into the limelight is the need for a make-over.
Although Micromax is respected among its peers and competitors and experts for its products and innovation like introducing the world’s first dual-SIM phone, it suffers from a crippling image of being branded a ‘budget phone’. While Pal agrees that Micromax offers value-for-money to customers, he insists Micromax is far from a cheap budget brand. It also has a presence in overseas markets like Hong Kong, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives, UAE and Middle East and Afghanistan.
“We entered the market at a time when it was flooded with cheap Chinese phones and got associated with it. We are not a cheap budget brand although our aim is to give value for money. And we are known for our innovation.”
He said in order to win the youth market over; Micromax was ready to invest more in the music vertical depending on the artist. “We have more associations lined up. Snoop Dogg’s tour is not a one off,’ he added.
