Through a gamut of marketing strategies, Kamal Nandi is looking to build a strong recall for brand Godrej in the appliances space
When Kamal Nandi took up responsibility as VP Sales & Marketing, Godrej Appliances in 1997, its business was witnessing severe competition from South Korean majors LG and Samsung. His prime challenge was to rejuvenate Godrej into a youthful & contemporary brand. He talks to deepti singh on the progress so far:
Godrej has a vision to regain leadership in the durable space in India. For the same, how do you lead and motivate your team?
The biggest challenge has been to first create a good team and then build ownership amongst them of a shared dream. Talking of leadership style, I think I have a mix of a pragmatic and a democratic style of leadership. I have always focussed on four pillars for success – optimism, transparency, empathy and empowerment. We have built a homogenous and winning team by inducting professionals from diverse industries like advertising, retail, market research and consumer durables.
How do you compete with brands like Samsung and LG who have overtaken many successful brands in India? Who do you consider your immediate competitor?
When you are pitted against the multinational giants, your best armoury is to understand and connect better with the Indian consumers. Godrej has been pioneering technologies and features, which are relevant to Indian consumers, their habits and lifestyle. Our immediate competitor is Whirlpool, which operates in similar business spheres.
After the success of the LCD TV-cum-game console, what new innovations and portfolio expansions are you now planning?
Godrej’s appliances division is always looking for more innovations in our products. Smart appliances are in demand and seeing substantial growth as customers are seeking more convenience and control over their products. The television market in India is currently around 13 million units per annum. Our aim is to capture 5% of this market in the first year of operations. We are also expanding the portfolio to cooking ranges & water purifiers. Apart from building on our existing appliances range, this will help create synergy with group firms such as Godrej Interio, which makes modular kitchens.
How does the immediate marketing scenario look? How are you planning your growth amidst this scenario?
The current scenario is a bit depressing, given the global economic uncertainty and the Indian inflationary trend. Consumers are retreating to the recessionary mindset. Given their shrinking discretionary spends; consumers are postponing/curtailing their purchases and trying to conserve in this environment. Our strategy has been to aid consumers with better finance options to help them meet their aspirations. For example, for the festive season, offers like “Upto 100% Cash Back” on the appliances purchased have been launched. Going forward, in a stable economy, we will focus on launching revolutionary and convergent products across categories and services relevant to Indian sensibilities to drive preference for brand Godrej.
How do you manage your work and personal life and how critical do you consider this issue?
I think, it is critical to have a proper work-life balance to be professionally effective and efficient. I have always tried to give equal importance of time to both work and personal life and have not allowed one to interfere with the other.
When Kamal Nandi took up responsibility as VP Sales & Marketing, Godrej Appliances in 1997, its business was witnessing severe competition from South Korean majors LG and Samsung. His prime challenge was to rejuvenate Godrej into a youthful & contemporary brand. He talks to deepti singh on the progress so far:
Godrej has a vision to regain leadership in the durable space in India. For the same, how do you lead and motivate your team?
The biggest challenge has been to first create a good team and then build ownership amongst them of a shared dream. Talking of leadership style, I think I have a mix of a pragmatic and a democratic style of leadership. I have always focussed on four pillars for success – optimism, transparency, empathy and empowerment. We have built a homogenous and winning team by inducting professionals from diverse industries like advertising, retail, market research and consumer durables.
How do you compete with brands like Samsung and LG who have overtaken many successful brands in India? Who do you consider your immediate competitor?
When you are pitted against the multinational giants, your best armoury is to understand and connect better with the Indian consumers. Godrej has been pioneering technologies and features, which are relevant to Indian consumers, their habits and lifestyle. Our immediate competitor is Whirlpool, which operates in similar business spheres.
After the success of the LCD TV-cum-game console, what new innovations and portfolio expansions are you now planning?
Godrej’s appliances division is always looking for more innovations in our products. Smart appliances are in demand and seeing substantial growth as customers are seeking more convenience and control over their products. The television market in India is currently around 13 million units per annum. Our aim is to capture 5% of this market in the first year of operations. We are also expanding the portfolio to cooking ranges & water purifiers. Apart from building on our existing appliances range, this will help create synergy with group firms such as Godrej Interio, which makes modular kitchens.
How does the immediate marketing scenario look? How are you planning your growth amidst this scenario?
The current scenario is a bit depressing, given the global economic uncertainty and the Indian inflationary trend. Consumers are retreating to the recessionary mindset. Given their shrinking discretionary spends; consumers are postponing/curtailing their purchases and trying to conserve in this environment. Our strategy has been to aid consumers with better finance options to help them meet their aspirations. For example, for the festive season, offers like “Upto 100% Cash Back” on the appliances purchased have been launched. Going forward, in a stable economy, we will focus on launching revolutionary and convergent products across categories and services relevant to Indian sensibilities to drive preference for brand Godrej.
How do you manage your work and personal life and how critical do you consider this issue?
I think, it is critical to have a proper work-life balance to be professionally effective and efficient. I have always tried to give equal importance of time to both work and personal life and have not allowed one to interfere with the other.
For more articles, Click on IIPM Article
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2011.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM Best B School India
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM's Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
IIPM Proves Its Mettle Once Again.....
IIPM Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri on Internet Hooliganism
Arindam Chaudhuri: We need Hazare's leadership
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri - A Man For The Society....
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM RANKED NO.1 in MAIL TODAY B-SCHOOL RANKINGS
Planman Technologies
No comments:
Post a Comment