Micromax: How great advertising can do wonders for brand image

If done correctly, advertising truly has the power to influence public perception of a brand.

Micromax Mobile broke into public consciousness only recently, in 2008. At the time, its share of the Indian mobile handset market was a meager 0.59%. The company was largely viewed by the public as a maker of low-cost desi phones, famous for their market-changing dual-sim feature. The phone-maker, however, was not content with the low-cost, value-deliverer tag it had been labeled with. It had bigger plans - to target the high-spending urban buyer who is as brand-conscious as he is feature-conscious. Here, Micromax faced an uphill task. Creating brand equity is not easy. It is even tougher if you are jostling for attention with a slew of similarly-positioned domestic brands like Maxx, Karbonn, Spice, Lemon and Lava, all promoting themselves with high-visibility campaigns at big sporting events and on TV channels. More importantly, Micromax was also competing with the amassed brand attachment and trust enjoyed by industry bigwigs like Nokia and Samsung.

So then, how did the company build its brand value? It advertised heavily to make itself visible, as other competitors did. But there was one significant difference. The Micromax campaigns were spiffy, polished, and unapologetic about the brand's nascency. The Twinkle Khanna ad for Bling, the ‘Really Sorry’ ad for Q7 (view ad here), the recent war-themed ad for Qube - all had an international look and feel, an air of plucky, smarty-pants confidence - vanity even - that you'd normally associate with an evolved brand’s communication. The 'Nothing Like Anything' tagline too, though a tad diluted, points to its aggressive, better-notice-me posturing. Kudos to the phone-maker for partnering with a prestigious agency like Lowe Lintas.

The most impressive ad, however, is the new one for the Android phone, the Andro A60 (view ad here). Slickly-produced and watchable repeatedly, it is a clear indication that Micromax is targeting the young, upscale user who understands the significance of the Android OS. Hence the campaign 'What’ll you do to get your first Android?' In fact, the company’s decision to embrace Android and feature the platform so prominently in its communication is itself progressive, and should help build the brand’s cool-quotient. The ad has no flim-flam, no preaching, no listing of features. Just attitude. The fact that the company has shunned the use of a celebrity for this ad is also gratifying, and shows its understanding of this audience, which isn't swayed by big names… this is a self-aware tribe who's loyalty needs to be earned, not bought. It speaks volumes of the maturity of the company’s marketers.

They have rightly strategized that stand-out marketing is the way to support their innovative and value-delivering product line. And the results are for all to see. With its market share now up to 6.24% in just 2 years, Micromax is already the largest Indian mobile handsets company in terms of units shipped. The only way ahead should be upward.