The company has laid out aggressive plans to launch new products in Air Conditioners and Microwave categories this season.
"We have signed both Kajol and Ajay Devgan but we don't look at them as celebrities alone. They are embodiment of the brand values of Whirlpool," said Arvind Mediratta, vice president, marketing, Whirlpool.
This is a major shift in advertising strategy for Whirlpool India, which till now was advertising with model Amrita Saluja as 'Whirlpool Mom' in its celebrated ads with punch line 'Mummy ka magic chalega kya'.
"This is the first time we are using a celebrity couple because we felt that Kajol is the perfect example of an achiever, both at home and work."
We also acknowledge the fact that men play a crucial role in the purchase decision of appliances and Ajay is the 'man of substance'. (The two are) an ideal celebrity couple to take forward the Whirlpool ethos of being partners to homemakers," added Mediratta.
Whirlpool will spend Rs 45-50 crore (Rs 450-500 million) on advertising and promotions this year.
"With Devgan and Kajol, we are looking at new scripts and the first TV ads should be on air by the end of March," Mediratta said. Whirlpool will continue its association with its advertising agency FCB Ulka.
We will continue our association as FCB Ulka has done wonderful work with our brand and its evident in the fact that our brand recall is higher than our Korean competitors even as they spend 6-8 times more on advertising," said Mediratta.
The company plans to get aggressive in the categories of ACs and microwaves. "We will introduce a number of new products within our category range of ACs, Micro Wave, Refrigerators and Washing Machines," added Mediratta.
Incidentally Whirlpool completes 10 years of partnership with homemakers in India this year. Last year Whirlpool's turnover in India stood at Rs 1,200 crore (Rs 12 billion). This year the company expects to grow 20-25 per cent.
