 "Lloyd: One reason why men must share the load")
This copy has been edited at 11:50 am on 7 September, 2015
Brand : Lloyd
Agency : RK Swamy BBDO
Budget : Rs 20-30 cr
The television commercial (TVC) for the brand opens with a couple entering a showroom to buy a washing machine. Next one sees a salesman introducing different models of Lloyd washing machines emphasising their ease of use. At this point the wife looks up and asks, "So easy that even Sir can use it?" The TVC ends with the husband enthusiastically saying, "Swipe and it starts...swipe and it stops," convinced that the Lloyd washing machine is so easy to operate that even he can pitch in.
On the face of it, the communication is inspired by a brand message promoted by P&G's Ariel, which insists men should 'Share the load' with women. So, two questions arise: What is new about Lloyd asking the men of the house to pitch in with laundry? Second, is the message too overwhelming for a brand looking to create space in a new market? Sunil Kukreti, senior partner, RK Swamy BBDO, the creative agency for Lloyd, says, "Ariel's 'Share the load' reinforces the thinking that laundry is solely a woman's job."
He adds, "Lloyd, on the other hand, smartly communicates that men can no longer abdicate their responsibility; they also have to contribute to routine chores such as laundry. The point that men do not like doing laundry has been an open secret for the longest time and our campaign draws upon that insight."
Kukreti says that the focus of the campaign was ensuring that women empathise with the brand Lloyd. The thinking in the agency was, once women empathise with the brand, they will also patronise it.
With a strong message at its core and an apparent dig at men for ducking household chores, the campaign has managed to grab a lot of attention. The success of the campaign is borne out by the buzz around it with the TVC registering more than 1.6 million hits on YouTube and the campaign's Facebook page getting about 1.24 million likes. That said, the success of a campaign is measured by the actual number of units sold and not solely by the social media buzz it generates. Has the message overshadowed the brand or are the washing machines moving off the shop shelves?
Nipun Singhal, director, Lloyd Electric & Engineering, points out, "Brand recall is purely a factor of the number of times the consumer sees a visual or commercial. To ensure brand recall is high, the message is being amplified through various platforms. Apart from TV, the commercial is also playing out in cinema halls and in Jet Airways flights. We are advertising through newspapers as well as magazines. Posters and visual merchandising dominate points of sale. We are present outdoors with branding at airports in Hyderabad, Delhi and Mumbai."
According to Singhal, being a late entrant in a category, Lloyd needed a strong talk point that would ensure it stood out in the clutter. "The bigger message at the heart of the communication is that ours is a contemporary brand. In a world where most women are working and office work pressure and time involvement of men and women are equal, why should there be inequality in sharing of household chores? The campaign attacks the mindset of unequal division of labour."
Lloyd is hopeful of making a strong presence in the Rs 6,000 crore washing machine market in India. According to Research and Markets, which has just announced the "Washing Machine Market in India 2014-2018" report, it is expected that the number of middle-class households in India will rise to 53.3 million by 2015, and touch 113.8 million by 2025. The average disposable income of the middle-class family is between $3,412 and $7,063.
As this segment is the largest consumer of washing machines with a preference for automatic machines, it is expected that there will be a big surge in demand for washing machines in the medium term. Apart from an engaging advertising campaign, Lloyd is banking on its strong distribution network to reach out to consumers. At present, it has 8,000-plus dealerships selling its white goods across the country. In addition, it also has 487 service centres. According to industry estimates, the campaign is estimated to be around Rs 15-20 crore.
An earlier version of the article put the campaign cost at Rs 20-30 crore
Brand : Lloyd
Agency : RK Swamy BBDO
Budget : Rs 20-30 cr
More From This Section
Lloyd Electric & Engineering Limited (Lloyd), a consumer durable brand known for its air conditioners, has ventured into the washing machine space with the launch of 'unisex' washing machines. The campaign announcing the launch of Lloyd washing machines delves into what the company claims is a well-established fact: that by and large men continue to shy away from household work and relegate routine chores such as washing clothes to the women in the family.
The television commercial (TVC) for the brand opens with a couple entering a showroom to buy a washing machine. Next one sees a salesman introducing different models of Lloyd washing machines emphasising their ease of use. At this point the wife looks up and asks, "So easy that even Sir can use it?" The TVC ends with the husband enthusiastically saying, "Swipe and it starts...swipe and it stops," convinced that the Lloyd washing machine is so easy to operate that even he can pitch in.
On the face of it, the communication is inspired by a brand message promoted by P&G's Ariel, which insists men should 'Share the load' with women. So, two questions arise: What is new about Lloyd asking the men of the house to pitch in with laundry? Second, is the message too overwhelming for a brand looking to create space in a new market? Sunil Kukreti, senior partner, RK Swamy BBDO, the creative agency for Lloyd, says, "Ariel's 'Share the load' reinforces the thinking that laundry is solely a woman's job."
He adds, "Lloyd, on the other hand, smartly communicates that men can no longer abdicate their responsibility; they also have to contribute to routine chores such as laundry. The point that men do not like doing laundry has been an open secret for the longest time and our campaign draws upon that insight."
Kukreti says that the focus of the campaign was ensuring that women empathise with the brand Lloyd. The thinking in the agency was, once women empathise with the brand, they will also patronise it.
With a strong message at its core and an apparent dig at men for ducking household chores, the campaign has managed to grab a lot of attention. The success of the campaign is borne out by the buzz around it with the TVC registering more than 1.6 million hits on YouTube and the campaign's Facebook page getting about 1.24 million likes. That said, the success of a campaign is measured by the actual number of units sold and not solely by the social media buzz it generates. Has the message overshadowed the brand or are the washing machines moving off the shop shelves?
Nipun Singhal, director, Lloyd Electric & Engineering, points out, "Brand recall is purely a factor of the number of times the consumer sees a visual or commercial. To ensure brand recall is high, the message is being amplified through various platforms. Apart from TV, the commercial is also playing out in cinema halls and in Jet Airways flights. We are advertising through newspapers as well as magazines. Posters and visual merchandising dominate points of sale. We are present outdoors with branding at airports in Hyderabad, Delhi and Mumbai."
According to Singhal, being a late entrant in a category, Lloyd needed a strong talk point that would ensure it stood out in the clutter. "The bigger message at the heart of the communication is that ours is a contemporary brand. In a world where most women are working and office work pressure and time involvement of men and women are equal, why should there be inequality in sharing of household chores? The campaign attacks the mindset of unequal division of labour."
Lloyd is hopeful of making a strong presence in the Rs 6,000 crore washing machine market in India. According to Research and Markets, which has just announced the "Washing Machine Market in India 2014-2018" report, it is expected that the number of middle-class households in India will rise to 53.3 million by 2015, and touch 113.8 million by 2025. The average disposable income of the middle-class family is between $3,412 and $7,063.
As this segment is the largest consumer of washing machines with a preference for automatic machines, it is expected that there will be a big surge in demand for washing machines in the medium term. Apart from an engaging advertising campaign, Lloyd is banking on its strong distribution network to reach out to consumers. At present, it has 8,000-plus dealerships selling its white goods across the country. In addition, it also has 487 service centres. According to industry estimates, the campaign is estimated to be around Rs 15-20 crore.
An earlier version of the article put the campaign cost at Rs 20-30 crore