Who What and When
Whirlpool Corporation, a fortune 500 Michigan-based American company entered India in 1980s through a joint venture with TVS Group and soon acquired Kelvinator India Limited. Its Manufacturing units are located in Pune, Faridabad, and Pondicherry. The product portfolio offered by the company comprises of refrigerators, water purifiers, washing machines, air conditioners, air purifiers, and microwave ovens. These products have to compete against those marketed by Samsung, LG, Haier, and Electrolux. Whirlpool India is now one of the leading manufacturers of consumer durable in India that contributes to 3 to 4 % of the parent company’s global revenues.
Though its products are designed to provide solutions through adoption of unique technology to “smart and confident homemaker”, the company has been very conscious about meeting the needs of different segments of Indian consumers. For instance, it offers refrigerators to suit the requirements of three distinct market groups. “Direct Cool”, a single door refrigerator with a capacity of 180 to 230 liters is meant for small family, singles, and small shopkeepers. Its prices ranges from Rs 8,850 to 12,700. The company offers “Frost Control” refrigerator with a capacity of 180 to 310 liters to middle-income segment at a price range of Rs. 11,550 to Rs. 17,745. This range has all features available in “Direct Cool” along with some additional value seeks to reduce the amount of frost formation through its 6th sense “Frost Control Technology”. “Frost Free” refrigerators are meant for its elite consumers as well as supermarkets at a price range of Rs. 13,755 to Rs. 36,200. This product features 6th sense “Tower Cooling Technology” and its capacity ranges from 220 liters to 450 liters. Its future plan includes launching of more refrigerators in the mass premium as well as elite segments. It also tends to upgrade to C-Pentane Products.
The company envisages “Creating Happier Homes” through their products which are expected to create joyful moments in consumers lives by surpassing their expectations. Movie stars Ajay Devgan and his wife Kajol are the brand ambassadors for whirlpool products. The earlier promotional campaign employed the slogan “You and Whirlpool, the world’s best homemaker” whereas the new one says, “Your magic is homemaking”. It was revealed through a market research that the homemaker aims at perfection in every effort of hers and takes pride in that. So, the new tagline was adopted to suggest that this magic is possible through Whirlpool Products.