Brands
Micromax starts its Russia operations
RUSSIA: Micromax, world’s 11th largest mobile phone player has announced the launch of its operations in Russia by extending its innovative product portfolio and services to the users in the country. Micromax has been the clear No 2 smartphone brand by a distance and a clear No 3 overall phone brand (smart+ feature phones) in India, is now gearing up for Russia. With a focus on democratizing technologies for the masses, the company aims to have an aggressive plan to make its mark in the Russian mobile handset marketre-emphasizing on its vision to offer innovative products and service offerings, which are customized to address the needs of consumers in Russia.
Micromax, with its USP of pioneering meaningful innovations based on in-depth consumer understanding, would be operating througha partnership with VVP Group, one of the leading distribution houses in Russia. The partnership is a strategic move, which would provide good reach for Micromax in the regionwith a plan to make Micromax products available across the country, ensuring deeper shelf space and wider outlet spread.
Micromax will be introducing its popular Canvas series of smartphones and Bolt series of smart-feature phones which have been a trendsetter, which have already sold more than 35 million devices across the operating markets for Micromax in the past one year. The company will be launching 14 products in the Russian market in the initial phase, as the brand is already looking at gearing up to be among the Top 4 brands in Russia by the end of 2014. The company is ready with its service infrastructure across Russia with an aim of having more than 60 operational service centers by end of the month. Micromax will also have its exclusive service centersin strategic cities in Russia as the brand strengthens its presence across the country.
Commenting on the launch, Rahul Sharma, Co-Founder, Micromax said, “At Micromax, our emphasis has always been to democratize technology for masses around the world through an innovative product portfolio. As we look to take Micromax to key international markets, we are excited to announce our foray into the Russian mobile handset market which has immense potential not only for smartphones and features phones, but also for innovative tablets and data products. Our initial focus in the Russian market is to replicate the success witnessed in our other markets in the last couple of years. We have carved the vision for ourselves to be the 1st Indian hardware brand to be global and set our footprint with Russia as the first developed market to venture into.”
He further added, “We see a growing trend of data consumption through mobile devices in Russia, and we would be initiating partnerships with the leading operators in the region to aim at efficient data consumption on our devices in the coming year”.
Over the past decade, Micromax has been at the forefront of driving innovation through their innovative product offerings addressing the consumer needs. The company has many firsts to its credit when it comes to the mobile devices market including Canvas Laptab – world’s first dual boot tablet powered by Intel, launched on the 6th of January 2014 at CES in Vegas (Consumer Electronic Show), the first quad-core budget smartphone, phone with a 30-day battery backup, the first smartphone designed specifically for women, universal remote control mobile phones and a list of other innovative devices. The brand’s product portfolio embraces more than 60 models today, ranging from feature rich, dual – SIM phones, 3G Android smartphones, tablets, LED televisions and data cards.
Speaking on the occasion, Vasily Sibirtsev, Chairman VVP Group said, “We are very excited to work with Micromax, one of the world’s leading mobile phone brands. Russia is an ideal market for Micromax to bring its innovative product portfolio and services customized for consumers in this market. Our immediate goal will be to build a very strong and robust distribution network to capture a significant share in the Russian mobile handset market. We will be working aggressively to strengthen our presence in the retail space across 9000+ sales points in the country backed by an efficient service infrastructure.”
Amit Mathur, Vice President, International Business – Micromax said “ We believe Micromax products to a promising future in Russia where the smart phone market is booming along with data services. Micromax has studied this market and will continuously introduce products and applications with consumer insights from the Russia to bring forth world-class products to this market. We are happy to have found VVP as our strategic business partner to enter the retail market and will strive to maximize our retail strength going forward.”
The partnership with the VVP Group is a strategic move which would provide wide reach for Micromax in regions of Russia as the group has been associated with some of the leading global smartphone players to help them make a strong presence in Russia. VVP is known for its superior logistics setup, warehouses, retail management system and transportation management systems across the main hubs of Russia which will further help Micromax build its footprint in the country. VVP group will be working with partners in all existing channels including federal and regional chains, operators, consumer electronics shops and computer shops, online and other sales points in the country.
The company has also tied up with the leading VAS providers in Russia including Odnoklassniki, Russia’s popular social network service; IVI.ru, Russia’s first free video & music service; Viber, the leading global instant messaging application; Facebook; Twitter and M!Live giving users access to social connectivity and unlimited free online games.
Micromax plans to support the launch with a 360 degree branding exercise aiming to enhance the brand visibility in the region supported by marketing campaign across print, online and TV.
Brands
Myntra revives ‘Fashion ki Adalat’ to put social judgments on trial for International Women’s Day
Courtroom satire stars Lisa Ray and Archana Puran Singh
NATIONAL: Ahead of International Women’s Day, fashion e-commerce platform Myntra has revived its social campaign Fashion ki Adalat, expanding the idea of societal judgment beyond clothing choices.
The latest instalment of the campaign features actor and model Lisa Ray in a satirical courtroom drama that puts everyday scrutiny of women’s choices on trial. Veteran actor Archana Puran Singh reprises her role as the presiding judge, delivering the verdict in a humorous yet pointed narrative.
Set inside a stylised courtroom, the campaign frames the case as “Society vs Her Choices,” turning familiar criticisms into formal accusations. Through humour and satire, the film examines how women’s decisions, ranging from fashion and career to marriage and identity, are frequently judged across different stages of life.
The narrative traces three phases of Lisa Ray’s life. At 18, her independence is framed as defiance. Later, after marriage, her decision not to change her surname is questioned. In midlife, her ambition and bold self-expression are again scrutinised. Each moment is met with sharp retorts that challenge social expectations and reinforce the campaign’s central message: personal expression should not be subject to public approval.
With Fashion ki Adalat 2.0, Myntra is attempting to broaden last year’s conversation from defending individual fashion choices to questioning the impulse to judge them altogether.
“Self-expression is often met with unsolicited scrutiny,” said Myntra head of social media marketing and creator ecosystem Monalisa Panda. “Through this campaign we wanted to spotlight that reality and celebrate individuality across life stages.”
Created and produced by Ideaz Farm, the film was directed by Yash Danak, with creative direction by Katya Mohan and Rishi P Ekta Taak and Prasanna Shetty served as producers, while P Kalyani Sunil handled cinematography.
The campaign forms part of Myntra’s wider push to position fashion and beauty as tools of personal identity and self-expression for younger consumers across India.
