Domestic handset producers take on global players in a big way - The New Indian Express

In a bid to overtake multinational players like Samsung and Nokia — the top two leading mobile producers in India — homegrown players like Micromax, Celkon, Karbonn Mobiles, Lava International, Spice and Intex Technologies seem to be stepping up their branding exercise. Over the past one year, domestic handset producers have been increasingly sponsoring cricket matches including international tournaments. For instance, Micromax was the title sponsor for several matches including the ODI series between India and Sri Lanka, which was titled the Micromax Cup, 2012. Similarly, Bangalore-based Karbonn too was a title sponsor of Champions League Twenty20 last year. "This strategy helps companies to create brand awareness and if done on a regular basis, the brand's popularity will surely be established," said TR Madan Mohan, Managing Partner, Browne & Mohan Consultants. Hyderabad-based Celkon, which recently bagged the title sponsorship for the Zimbabwe series, is planning to spend more than `50 crore only on branding this fiscal. "Cricket matches have a huge visibility. A lot of people watch it on television. The sponsorship coincides with our penetration into newer markets across the country," said Y Guru, managing director, Celkon Impex Pvt Ltd, which sells mobile phones under the Celkon brand name. It has over 30 mobile handsets including both feature and smart phones. Besides, it has also lined up about 15 new models to be launched into the market over the next few months. These new launches are expected to help the company double its turnover to `1,200 crore this fiscal. According to experts, sponsorships help companies to connect with customers beyond their products and offerings. Micromax recently said it has identified three areas namely sports, movies and music as vehicles of brand building. These platforms are expected to be ideal to reach out to the audience and give the brand an opportunity to bond with youth. The country's tablet PC market is expected to grow at 40 per cent to 7.3 million units in 2015-16 from 0.95 million in 2011-12, increasing affordability and desirability as lifestyle devices for the youth and penetration of low-cost tablets. According to a report from Manufacturers' Association for Information Technology, the devices have seen massive proliferation in India and will continue to grow in the next five years, especially with the entry-level budget tablets and mid-range devices. via Technology - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNF70N2PLCmxvWM4FR15-IOFJq2uUg&url=http://newindianexpress.com/business/news/Domestic-handset-producers-take-on-global-players-in-a-big-way/2013/08/08/article1723618.ece

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