Repositioning Simon India brand

Simon entered into the Indian market in 2007 forming a joint venture company with Eon Electric Ltd. (formerly Indo Asian Fusegear Ltd.) as Indo Simon Electric. But the brand was not getting the right kind of traction in Indian market, so the parent company of Simon planned to re-launch the brand in Indian market under their supervision. 

"By repositioning, we are not only marketing the brand in a strategic manner, but also looking forward to add value to people's life with new brand identity and product extension," opines Amit Garg, CEO, Simon, India in an exclusive interaction with Retailer Media. The Indian market is full of opportunities.  The demand for high quality electrical and lighting products is seeing an upsurge in applications like commercial spaces, IT parks, smart cities, residential luxury projects, transportation and others, says Garg. 

 

What is the pull factor for Simon in India?

The major full factor is the increasing demand for attractive looking products that can be fit easily and can go well with the different types of interiors. Indian consumers are looking for products that can offer premiumness, striking design and innovation at affordable cost. This market trend creates great opportunity for Simon to bring the suitable products according to market requirements. 

Additionally, Simon has a century-old legacy of quality and trust that we bring into Indian market. It is a world leader in electrical switches, LED lighting, domotics, security, access control, trunking and urban furniture. 

 

What re-launch strategy have you thought now after failing to make your presence felt since 2007? 

We are coming up with our new re-launching and branding strategy that will target the premium, trendy audience who want to experience premiumness at affordable cost. With our aggressive marketing and product extension strategy in India, we aim to reach out to such potential customers in short time and grab a large pie of Indian market in high-end switches and lighting segment. 

Now, we are back with premium products, new strategy and innovative services that will support us to start afresh in India and make the market feel our presence quite strongly.  

 

What is the brand legacy?

Started as small workshop in 1916 in Spain, today, Simon is a business entity of over 3800+ professionals worldwide. 

Today, Simon has a strong presence in 18 countries along with 17 production centers around the world. Simon Holding is a €266 million group comprising 25 companies globally and offers more than 3,500 varieties of products with sales network covering over 98 countries. 

 

What is the strategy for Indian market?

Indian market is not only providing a great platform for business growth, but it also offering new venues for innovation and quality in product design. We will follow an aggressive strategy that will include outdoor, TV, Print and Digital campaigns. 

Our focus would be to introduce the USPs of our products to the consumers and create a strong awareness in the market. We will reach out to the target audience by using most sustainable communication tools including ATL and BTL activities with modern appeal to innovatively connect consumer with various initiatives. With a mix of brand communication and on-ground promotions programme, we will target the customers in a strategic manner and then will widen our reach in different markets of India. 

What are the categories that you handle?

Our business lines are switches and sockets, connectivity, home control systems, outdoor and indoor lighting, and electric vehicle charging systems. Our products and services find applications in home, office, hotel, healthcare centers, stadiums, transport, businesses and educational centers etc.  

 

Will you be undertaking manufacturing in India?

In India, Simon has a state-of-the-art manufacturing unit in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. We believe that by manufacturing indigenously, we would be able to cater to the end-to-end consumers. Going forward, with the huge demand for premium quality products and local manufacturing initiatives, we aim to double our manufacturing capacity in India. 

 

How do you plan to build this brand in India?

India is a very big market for us and by applying modern brand and marketing approach; we want to create a new market of electrical switches as design and fashion components for the consumers. Along with traditional mediums, the digital platform is going to play a very important role as we aim to educate, attract our consumers and provide the best of product choices to them. In addition to this, social media is going to be one of our core focus area considering the premium positioning of our products and the target audience. We will keep our consumers engaged with the brand with contests, special offer, schemes, and on-ground initiatives throughout the year.

 

How is the market for lighting and electrical devices?

With economic development and improvement in infrastructure, we expect the consumer behaviour to shift towards Lighting Control Systems in the coming time. These systems find application in commercial, industrial and residential spaces and the potential is huge for players to come up with innovations. 

 

What scope do you see for Simon India?

In India, with the rapid development in overall infrastructure, new opportunities are knocking the door of Indian market. The new and updated infrastructure in metro cities, sub metros and other cities is creating a huge demand of innovative and design products especially in electrical and lighting industries.