Youth-centric brands such as KFC, Kurkure, Philips, HUL's Axe integrate TV ads with Facebook apps to drive sales

NEW DELHI: Youth-centric brands such as KFC, PepsiCo's Kurkure,Philips and HUL's Axe have extended their catchy television commercials into whackyFacebook apps to drive traffic in the virtual world and sales in the real world.

If the Philips app lets users try out all the different looks that John Abraham sports in its television campaign for male grooming products on themselves, Kurkure challenges people to find the right mix for its different variants by trying different ingredients, extending its 'Ingredients of India' television campaign. Thousands have signed up for these apps.

"With apps running on a parallel with TV commercials, the recall value for the brand improves drastically as consumers are directly interacting with the product," says ad filmmaker Prahlad Kakkar. And brands say this media integration strategy has helped increase product recalls and boost sales.

Dhruv Kaul, director, marketing, at fast-food chain KFC, says, "Though it is difficult to measure sales through such apps, it has helped drive further engagement with our target group which is young adults and teenagers."

In the latestKFC Krushers Kafeccino television commercial, a group of youngsters click the expressions of their friend as soon as she tastes the drink for the first time. Now, Kafeccino's Facebook 'Kool Hours' app allows people to upload their photos and earn points for every picture and caption. As many as 2,500 users uploaded their photographs in seven days.

Around 47% of Indian Facebook users are in the 18-24 age group, according to Socialbakers, a company tracking social media statistics.

This makes the social networking site a prime destination for all youth-centric marketers. "A relevant app helps generate buzz about the product and becomes a popular topic of discussion in one's peer group. The target group feels that they are 'with it'," says marketing expert Harish Bijoor, CEO of Harish Bijoor Consults Inc. "In that sense, it connects with their mindset easily," he adds.

Philips would second that. The number of 'likes' on its Facebook page increased over 37,600 in a month since it introduced an app that allows men to try out the different beard styles as shown in its John Abraham-starrer TV ad for men's grooming kit.

PepsiCo's Facebook app for its Kurkure snack-based on its 'Ingredients of India' TV campaign with catch phrase 'badal jaa'-also has created a lot of interest with some 20,000 users trying it.

Philips recalls 95,000 hair dryer units over safety hazard

NEW DELHI: Dutch consumer electronics firmPhilips today said it is recalling 95,000 of its hair dryer units in India due to a potential hazard to customers caused by overheating when left plugged into an electric connection.

The company said it is recalling two foldable hair dryer models -- HP4931 andHP 4940 -- sold in India between September, 2008, and February, 2011.

"It has been found that in very rare cases, the hairdryer can overheat when left plugged into the electrical connection. This poses a potential hazard, even when the appliance is switched off and not in use," Philips said in a public announcement.

The company, however, said the risk for consumers is very low and no safety incidents have been reported in India.

"This is a precautionary recall that underlines Philips' commitment as a global leader in hair care appliances," it added.

At present, Philips sells five hair dryer models in India. This is the first ever recall in India for Philips in any of its product categories.

Havells to enter small home appliances business

NEW DELHI: Electrical equipment maker Havells India will start selling small home-andkitchen appliances from July, hoping to profit from a Rs 5,200-crore market currently dominated by Philips, Panasonic, Morphy Richards and Bajaj.

Havells' product line-up will include mixers, irons, hand blenders and cooking and brewing appliances.

"The small home appliances segment is all set to boom," said Havells India joint managing director Anil Gupta said, adding that Havells would use its brand recall in the lighting segment to position itself in the home appliance space.

Havells will outsource 70% of manufacturing to local vendors and the rest to its partners in China , where its design centre will be responsible for developing the products.

The company, 30%-owned by QRG Enterprises, plans to invest Rs 70 crore in marketing its small appliances range over the next two to three years. A part of investments will also go into research and development.
Sales of domestic home appliances are growing at 15-18% every year. Premium appliances, which contributes a fifth to the total market, are growing even higher at 30-35%.

Gupta said the products would be priced competitively and will be comparable with those of Philips and Panasonic.
Some other prominent players in the segment include Usha and Maharaja Whiteline.

Havells products will be initially sold in top 40 cities through some 4,000 outlets retailing electrical goods. The products will also be sold through 115 exclusive Havells Galaxy stores, which will be increased to 200 by the end of this financial year.

The company also plans to export its products to Latin America and Thailand using the distribution channel of Sylvania, which it bought in early 2007. This acquisition had catapulted Havells into the top league of lighting equipment makers, behind Philips, Osram and GE.

Havells, which clocked a turnover of. Rs 5,600 crore in the year ended March'11, also sells fans and launched its water heater range in October last year.