Indiantelevision.com Team

(6 March 2008 8:00 pm)

BANGALORE: After the launch of 'Aamchi Mumbai' and 'Hamaari Delhi' campaigns a few months ago, Canon India will now launch its third city-specific campaign ‘Namma Bengaluru’ or My Bangalore.

The company has also planned a multimedia campaign with Sachin Tendulkar as the brand ambassador. Percept will be creating the TVC featuring Tendulkar.

The TVC is likely to be on air by April-end, according to Canon India senior vice president Alok Bharadwaj. The TVC, in English, will be aired on GECs (general entertainment channels), news channels and select regional channels.

Canon has chalked out spends of about Rs 40 million for a two-month long TV campaign. This includes the creative work and the cost of shooting the TVC.

Canon will be investing through advertising, promotions, below the line activities and working towards more engagement with partners with the aim to increase its presence and mind share in the city.

The campaign will focus on Canon’s Consumer Systems Products’ division that deals with Canon’s IT peripheral products range. This project commences on 6 March, 2008 and will be sustained through various ATL and BTL activities throughout the year. The company expects to double its market share of All-in-Ones from 9 per cent to 20 per cent within six months under this project.

The focus of the campaigns is to increase penetration of CSP products (printers) in these cities as well as strengthening Canon's presence in the digital imaging market. A campaign in Chennai will follow next, says Canon India's senior vice president Alok Bharadwaj.

According to Bharadwaj, during a three-month campaign in each city over two phases, Canon has plans to spend Rs 20 million per phase per city.

The first phase involves city specific positioning of its PIXMA MP 145 inkjet printer. In Mumbai where the campaign kicked off in June 2007, the MP 145 was positioned as 'Black Beauty'.

The Mumbai campaign resulted in doubling of Canon’s market share from single digits to 15-20 per cent. In Delhi, where Canon claims an eight per cent market share, the campaign is still running. Canon says that the campaign has resulted in its market share in the NCR increasing to double digits too. In Bangalore it is being positioned as ‘The Wonder Box’.

During the second phase, Canon plans to introduce some of its other products, which include business products and digital cameras to the home and business segments.

The program has been poised on six key pillars of Canon in Bengaluru:

• Repositioning the product as a versatile ‘must have’ for home through increased consistent brand visibility through various advertising and marketing initiatives.
  
  
• Increasing Canon Premium Partner engagement.
  
  
• Thrust on corporate business.
  
  
• Engagement with Canon Empowered partners.
  
  
• Improved and increased level of service support.
  
  
• Customer engagement through experiential marketing.

The company has identified the south as a strategic market, where it sees an opportunity for higher and faster growth. Bangalore being the commercial hub in this region has been chosen for project ‘Namma Bengaluru’

Canon will also be opening a showroom in Bangalore with investments of around Rs 20 million during the first phase over a 3000 square feet area.

Canon India closed 2007 with sales of Rs 5.1 billion, a 38 per cent jump over the revenues of Rs 3.5 billion for 2006. Hoping to achieve CAGR of 40 per cent over the next two years, Canon India president and CEO Kensaku Konishi has targeted Rs 7 billion as the turnover for the calendar year 2008 and to Rs 10 billion in 2009.