Philips to invest Euro 2.5 mn in ‘simplicity’

Royal Philips Electronics has taken another step towards an on-going transformation by announcing a new brand campaign as the company completes 75 years in India. The campaign revolves around the concept of the company’s new brand promise of ‘Sense and Simplicity’, which replaces ‘Let’s make things better’. This is in line with the image changing exercise of Philips India’s parent company, which intends to become more market-driven. Philips will spend Euro 80 million in the first quarter of 2005 to bring its message to customers in 11 key markets around the world. In India, the investment is Euro 2.5 million.

This global campaign has been developed in association with Philips’ global advertising agency, DDB Worldwide, and media buying agency, Carat. It features existing Philips products that fit the new brand positioning. In markets other than India (mainly on account of shift in the creative agency in the country), the campaign was launched some seven months ago. The campaign is set to hit the scene in a fortnight across television, print and online in India, Brazil, Russia and Spain and later, in a new version, in China, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, UK and US.

The new corporate campaign is designed to give customers a distinctive image of a sharper, more focused enterprise, which — throughout its activities in healthcare, lifestyle and technology — is held together by a common drive to deliver ‘intuitive end-user’ experiences.

On the change in brand positioning, K. Ramachandran, Managing Director & CEO, Philips India, says, “We are a much stronger and vibrant company today. Also, the merger of many of our legal entities in India is now nearly complete and we shall soon usher in the new name — Philips Electronics India Ltd. Furthermore, people expect ‘simplicity’ in technology as is evident in our new advertising campaign. The challenge is to further align our company to deliver the new brand promise in each and every aspect.”

.. To read the entire story, grab your copy of Impact Advertising and Weekly magazine issue dated April 4-10, 2005