Onida to exorcise its 'iconic' devil, give brand a makeover

New Delhi, Sep 6 (PTI) In the face of India's changing
consumer tastes, Onida has decided to say goodbye to the
'devil', the company's mascot that for years aroused envy of
neighbours who didn't own its TV sets, and relaunch the brand.

The company's 'devil' ad campaign, whose tagline was
'neighbour's envy, owner's pride, was a rage at one point in
time, but the Indian multinational feels it has outlived its
objective due to change in taste and financial capability of
the consumer.

At the time this famous campaign was launched, owning a
television was a matter of pride for Indians. However, things
have changed in the last 20 years due to liberalisation which
has expanded market for both domestic and global brands as
well as spending capabilities and owning a TV is no more a
subject of neighbour’s envy.

"Onida is in the process of building a completely new
brand mascot to appeal to India's new consumerism. Noted ad
veteran Prasoon Joshi and his team is helping the company in
the brand re-birth process," a senior company official said,
while confirming that a decision has been taken to send the
devil back to where it belongs.

With stiff competition from international brands like LG
and Samsung, Onida is now preparing to rebuild its brand to
appeal to the new age Indian consumers. MORE PTI SKB
"It is just like Air India doing away with its popular
mascot Maharaja. Devil is no longer considered relevant in
today’s market," he said.

Onida, established in 1982 under Mirc Electronics, enjoys
a strong equity among consumers making it one of the leading
brands in India. It offers a wide range of household
appliances, including air-conditioners, washing machines,
DVDs, Plasma & LCD televisions and home theatre systems.

Onida has a network of over 33 branch offices, 208
Customer Relation Centers and 41 depots spread across India.

Once discontinued in 1998, the devil was brought back by
the company in 2004, the official said, adding that now the
time has come to move on.

Asked by when the new ad campaign would be launched, he
said by September-end the brand would be revealed as the
contours are being finalised by the team working on it.

"Since the devil has become as good as a logo for Onida
products, shelving it is a brave decision and a brave step for
the company," the official said. PTI SKB
SDE