MAM
Martin Sorrell bullish on India
MUMBAI: WPP chief executive officer Martin Sorrell is bullish about India’s economy. He believes the GST switchover pangs and demonetisation were only temporary hiccups.
Lauding India’s growth rate, Sorrell mentioned that India continued to remain among the fastest growing economies of the world, the Economic Times reported. When one had legislative change which brought about significant social change, it would lead to disruption. That was short-term pain for long-term gain, he said.
Sorrell, who was in India yesterday to attend the company’s first board meeting, announced the appointment of CVL Srinivas as the new country head. He also hinted that GroupM, which is a part of WPP network, was seek good acquisitions.
Sorrell said he did not believe internet companies such as Facebook and Google were particularly technology companies. They were media companies but took the position publicly as technology companies, which was wrong. He also shared that Facebook hired 4000 employees for its editorial content and social media companies should take responsibility of the content they put out.
He said he believed the technology companies had to take responsibility of their contents appearing on extremist sites or whatever happened to be — about consumer brands, safety, about transparency, about fraud, about bots, about fake news, all those issues, he added.
About characterising what the world was beyond India, he said, it was not growing at six per cent or 5.7 per cent. People would give their eye, teeth, they would cut off their limbs to grow at that sort of rate. The world, he said, was growing at around three to four per cent.
The UK would be lucky if it grew at a couple of percents. In the US, President Trump would like to see the growth at four per cent, he concluded.
Brands
Raj Cooling Systems launches Agreyas appliances brand
Emraan Hashmi named brand ambassador for consumer appliance push.
MUMBAI: A company known for cooling solutions is now heating up its ambitions in the home appliances market. Raj Cooling Systems Pvt. Ltd. has launched a new consumer appliances brand, Agreyas, marking its entry into India’s rapidly expanding home appliances sector valued at more than Rs 1.5 lakh crore. The move represents a strategic diversification for the company, which has traditionally focused on cooling solutions for residential, commercial and industrial applications. Through Agreyas, the firm plans to tap into growing consumer demand for energy efficient and technology driven household appliances.
To build brand visibility, Agreyas has appointed Emraan Hashmi as its brand ambassador. The campaign has been developed under the banner of Zoommantra Productions, with actor and filmmaker Rohit Roy contributing to the creative direction.
The brand’s initial portfolio will include mid premium air conditioners, washing machines, geysers and other white goods designed to cater to modern Indian households seeking efficient and reliable appliances.
Raj Cooling Systems, founder and chairman Kalpesh Ramoliya said the launch aligns with the company’s broader expansion plans.
“The launch of Agreyas is in line with our vision to build a strong presence in India’s consumer electronics and home appliances market. The brand has been developed as a standalone identity to meet the evolving needs of Indian consumers,” he said.
Hashmi said the collaboration comes at a time when Indian buyers are increasingly looking for innovative and functional home solutions.
“I’m looking forward to working with Agreyas at a time when consumers are seeking more innovative and efficient home products. The brand reflects changing consumer behaviour around functionality, innovation and ease of use,” he said.
Raj Cooling Systems plans to invest around 10 million dollars in developing the brand, with an additional 5 million dollars earmarked over the next three to five years for product development and distribution expansion.
Agreyas will follow a multi channel distribution approach, selling through online platforms, retail outlets and dealer networks aimed at both urban and semi urban markets across India.
With the launch, the company is positioning Agreyas as a standalone consumer facing brand while continuing to leverage its existing manufacturing, engineering and research capabilities built through its core cooling solutions business.
