Why Vivo is missing in action this festive season?
The Chinese smartphone maker, which is known for big ad spends, is missing in action this festive season
Smartphone brand Vivo has been synonymous with high decibel ad campaigns and big marketing spends to make its presence felt in India. Over the years the brand has build its market-share on the back of big advertising dollars which it has spent generously on sporting properties like Indian Premier League, celebrity endorsements etc.
For a brand that has dominated ad spends in its category, the missing buzz of Vivo this festival season is understandably conspicuous by its absence.
While its competitors Oppo and Xiaomi have been consistent with their ad campaigns, Vivo has been missing in action for the last few months. Some experts’ attribute this to the recent management reshuffle at Vivo which saw the high profile exit of its Chief Marketing Officer, Vivek Zhang, who experts believe was the man behind Vivo’s big and successful marketing campaigns.
Speaking about this missing festive action, a Vivo spokesperson told exchange4media the rationale behind the brand's low key profile this season.
“The brand’s focus on advertising has been immense on targeting the youth right from the beginning. The advertising spend is always in line with business decisions and objectives. Vivo continues to realise its potential in the Indian market through its latest launched v7+ which is a big success and continues its growth trajectory in a robust manner. Going forward we shall continue to spend in the right channels to target our potential customers”, said the spokesperson.
While the spokesperson might have brought out the strategic aspect of ad spends into play, the buzz is that Vivo’s management is yet to come to an agreement about a clear cut marketing strategy following the exit of Zhang.
That Chinese handset makers have dominated the Indian smartphone space over the last few years, leaving behind domestic brands, is no secret. Such has been the popularity of Chinese brands that in the first quarter of calendar year 2017, Chinese mobile phone manufacturers’ market share was about 51 per cent.
For a brand that has dominated ad spends in its category, the missing buzz of Vivo this festival season is understandably conspicuous by its absence.
While its competitors Oppo and Xiaomi have been consistent with their ad campaigns, Vivo has been missing in action for the last few months. Some experts’ attribute this to the recent management reshuffle at Vivo which saw the high profile exit of its Chief Marketing Officer, Vivek Zhang, who experts believe was the man behind Vivo’s big and successful marketing campaigns.
Speaking about this missing festive action, a Vivo spokesperson told exchange4media the rationale behind the brand's low key profile this season.
“The brand’s focus on advertising has been immense on targeting the youth right from the beginning. The advertising spend is always in line with business decisions and objectives. Vivo continues to realise its potential in the Indian market through its latest launched v7+ which is a big success and continues its growth trajectory in a robust manner. Going forward we shall continue to spend in the right channels to target our potential customers”, said the spokesperson.
While the spokesperson might have brought out the strategic aspect of ad spends into play, the buzz is that Vivo’s management is yet to come to an agreement about a clear cut marketing strategy following the exit of Zhang.
That Chinese handset makers have dominated the Indian smartphone space over the last few years, leaving behind domestic brands, is no secret. Such has been the popularity of Chinese brands that in the first quarter of calendar year 2017, Chinese mobile phone manufacturers’ market share was about 51 per cent.
