Godrej Appliances targets Kerala with Kasavu friendly Onam push

MUMBAI: This Onam, Godrej is giving tradition a spin, quite literally. The Appliances Business of Godrej Enterprises Group is taking its festive pitch deeper into Kerala with a campaign that puts Kasavu sarees and Sadya preparations at the centre of its product messaging.

Under the ‘Tested for Kasavu, Trusted by Kerala’ campaign, the brand is promoting its handloom-friendly front-load washing machines, positioning them as a way for consumers to wear and wash Kerala’s iconic handloom sarees with fewer worries.

The campaign is based partly on findings from Godrej’s ‘Handloom Dilemma Report’, which found that 94 per cent of respondents in Kochi expressed growing interest in handlooms. Yet, despite the enthusiasm, more than 85 per cent of handloom owners in the city said they were concerned about washing delicate fabrics, potentially limiting how often they wear them.

Godrej has taken that consumer tension offline with installations featuring Kasavu-clad mannequins at some of Kochi’s prominent public spaces, including Edappally Metro Station, PVR Lulu Mall, Crossword at Lulu Mall and Mocha Art Café.

The installations feature QR codes directing consumers towards information about Godrej’s handloom-friendly front-load washing machines, which the brand says have been tested to wash Kasavu and 25 other Indian handloom fabrics at home.

But the campaign is not stopping at the wardrobe. With Onam also bringing the elaborate Sadya to Kerala homes, Godrej is turning its attention to the kitchen, highlighting its high-capacity advanced side-by-side refrigerators as a solution for storing the larger quantities of food prepared during the festive season.

The refrigerators feature a convertible zone and storage organisation, while the brand said almost its entire portfolio comes with a five-year comprehensive warranty.

Swati Rathi, Head of Marketing, Appliances Business, Godrej Enterprises Group, said the brand’s understanding of Kerala’s traditions had influenced both its product innovation and Onam communication. She added that the handloom research showed consumers valued Kasavu but often worried about damaging it during washing.

The campaign is also taking to the road, with a specially designed canter van travelling across Kochi during the festive month. An OOH installation shows a Kasavu saree flowing out of a Godrej washing machine, while influencers are being brought in to extend the campaign across digital platforms.

With Kasavu on one side and Sadya on the other, Godrej’s Onam strategy is effectively trying to put its appliances where Kerala’s festive rituals already live from the washing machine to the refrigerator.