Speak of the devil…and the devil is no more. The horny, sharp-nailed, pointed-ear imp of the consumer goods brand Onida is being laid to rest again.
The devil had risen in 1982 from Onida’s cauldron when liberalisation was just being unfolded in the country. It was indeed a devil of a job done by Gopi Kukde who created a mascot that was to be remembered over ages and helped Onida rise in stature and size.
By the early nineties, Onida had become one of the top three TV sellers and its market share had jumped six times. And it’s the devil that should be given all the due if ‘neighbours envy, owners pride’ became an integral part of every Indian’s life then.
And then came the Koreans — with their LGs and Samsungs in tow. Even the devil couldn’t save Onida from the onslaught and voices started being raised to slay the devil. In 1998, the mascot was taken off campaigns for the first time since its launch.
However, in 2005, the devil was reincarnated with a sleeker and modern look, which advocated the transformation with the tagline — Experience the Change.
Alas, the makeover did nothing for the brand and finally 20 years after its creation, Onida is bidding adieu to the iconic devil, maybe for good this time.
Sriram Krishnamurthy, vice-president, marketing and services, Onida, was almost teary eyed as he spoke with DNA about the iconic mascot, its journey and end.
When the Devil was first launched, the marketers predicted doom for the brand but the devil clicked. What made it click?
We cannot distinctly state that the marketers predicted doom for the brand. We launched the devil campaign at a time when our counterparts were doing product-based advertising and the consumers failed to identify with them. The campaign just ascended above the norms of that era and gave a very different and powerful insight. The campaign was backed by clutter-breaking execution.
Why did Onida zero down on the devil as its mascot in the first place? What’s the correlation between a consumer durable brand and a devil?
The Devil represented envy and the owner’s pride. The correlation between a consumer durable brand and a devil was very evident in the form of ‘envy’ as India was still in the process of liberalisation and owning a television was a big thing. For example, if you owned the best TV set available in the market, you are bound to create jealousy among your neighbours. That exactly what the devil mascot helped us achieve.
How did the devil help Onida garner market share? Can you share the numbers?
Riding on the devil, Onida became a powerful brand. In those days, there was a waiting list on owning our television sets. Consumers even paid a premium over and above the MRP (maximum retail price) to get our products. From a market share of less than 5%, Onida captured almost 30% with the devil campaign.
Then in the 90s, Onida moved to a different agency (O&M) and Devil was dropped. What were the reasons for terminating the devil?
In fact, the devil was rocking in the 90s. It was not until 1998 when we decided to scrap him. We would say that by then the efficacy of the devil had started waning and fatigue had crept in.
It was almost like brand Onida was being overshadowed by the devil. It was becoming bit of a problem to communicate to our consumers the other products that were being launched by us.
Onida is now completely doing away with the mascot. Has the devil become dated?
It is not that the devil is dated. The devil personified the concept of envy. However, consumers no longer benchmark their neighbours with their choice of appliances. There is a level of individualism that has crept in. Hence the concept of envy is dated.
What’s Onida’s current market share. What is the target?
Onida’s market share would vary in different markets. For TVs, it is 11%. This year, we are targeting a market share of 15%.
What will be the characteristics of the new mascot? Will it be a reinvention of devil again or a new face altogether?
For that, you have to wait till September 15 when we unveil the new structure for our way forward.
What would it take to take on the Korean brands? A mascot change will surely not completely change the fortunes?
Our focus today is really not on competition. We aim to give our consumers what they want and if we are able to do that, we are in the game. In the past, we have been successful against strong competitors from Japan, so this is not new to us. Our prime focus is to meet consumers’ demand effectively.
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