By ASHWIN PINTO
Indiantelevision.com Team

(27 September 2006 6:00 pm)

MUMBAI: LG Electronics like a lot of brands is looking to break through the clutter this festive season to get its message across. It has come out with a way to do just that. It will use the iconic cartoon characters Tom and Jerry in its brand campaign.

The choice is most interesting when one considers that LG is a partner of the International Cricket Council (ICC). The Champions Trophy which kicks off on 7 October 2006 coincides with Diwali.

Speaking to Indiantelevision.com on the initiatives LG Electronics India marketing head Sandeep Tiwari says, "We have chosen Diwali as the main theme of the campaign. Cricket is the subset theme. The campaign with Tom and Jerry is called Diwali Toon Dhoom.

"A teaser 10 second campaign will shortly break on television. This will be followed by the main campaign. We have stayed away from using a filmstar or a cricketer as that is what companies normally do.

" The fact is that it is important to break through the clutter at a time when everybody does campaigns. Using a cricketer or a filmstar puts a brand in the me too category. Tom and Jerry will help us differentiate the brand. The campaign will help communicate to consumers the euphoria of the brand.

"We recognise the fact that Tom And Jerry cut across SECs, age groups, regions. When you use Bollywood though the communication is not as strong in the South as it is in the North. We also know that kids have a lot of influence on their parents particularly when it comes to buying television sets. We had brokered a deal with Turner to use their characters and the campaign runs till 21 October."

Tiwari adds that the print campaign has just kicked off. The tagline is Diwali Toon Dhoom Let the Celebrations Begin. On the ground level there is a promotion in retail outlets involving a popper toy pistol. Here one shoots the gun and confetti pops out. In fact there is a box from which one can choose a gun when buying an LG product. The aim is to provide an experience which will hopefully make customers choose an LG product over a competing one.

LG is looking at a turnover of Rs. 2500 crores this festive season. It has earmarked a budget of Rs. 100 crores in promotional activities. As far as cricket is concerned LG is counting on the on ground visibility at the different stadiums in India to build the LG brand. cricket is being used as an overall brand building excercise. LG is looking at doing on ground innovations at the different centers where the matches will be held.

These will go beyond the normal billboards. A natural way could be to have LG screens put up showing the match at the venues. Of course LG will have a strong on-air presence as well during the Champions Trophy. However Tiwari points out that using a cricketer in an ad is risky. If he plays poorly then the brand perception is affected. That way Tom And Jerry is risk free.

LG has launched range of products this season. One of these are DVD recorders. This makes the VCR redundant. Right now many homes watch films on DVD but use a VCR primarily for recording purposes. The rest of the time the VCR is lying idle. Now one will be able to get rid of it. It has also launched a new range of flat panel displays both in LCD and Plasma. It will also launch the Photo Frame Art Cool range of air conditioners.