The Campaign

India celebrates food. It is how they express themselves in a way. Be it extravagant feasts at weddings or a quick but elaborate burger and fries with friends, food is a sign of celebration. Indians are increasingly becoming health conscious and want to imbibe healthy eating habits without compromising on taste. To cater to this growing need, Philips India, market leader in kitchen appliances, launched a new category – air frying. The Philips AirFryer, after receiving an overwhelming response across the globe, was launched in India on 29th May 2012 in New Delhi. The AirFryer was positioned as an ideal lifestyle solution for Indian urban consumers without any compromise on taste. The AirFryer’s health benefits – 80 percent less fat than traditional frying – along with its innovative technology and features such as patented Rapid Air Technology were highlighted during three PR launch phases: Pre-launch, Launch and Post-launch. The two-month campaign included product demos, seeding, media events (mall activation, press conference), press release dissemination and feature stories. The campaign generated excellent media exposure in print, online and electronic media.

The Brief

• Launch the Philips AirFryer in India, creating media and consumer awareness around the product as a healthier, more convenient way of frying food • Highlight the AirFryer’s USP (less fat without compromising taste), positioning it as a lifestyle solution for the urban Indian consumer. Target women -- Sec A+, who are health conscious, socially active, and young mums; and health-conscious, socially active men – Sec A+ who are single occupants/ young fathers. • Leverage the launch to strengthen Philips’ position as a health and well-being company focused on improving lives through timely and meaningful innovations.

Results

• The Philips AirFryer launch experienced a stellar media turnout with over 75 key mainline, lifestyle financial, regional, online and trade attending the event • More than 85 stories secured in two months exceeding expectations by 169% • Coverage included 20 extensive reviews of the AirFryer among key lifestyle and technology media • In a span of four weeks from the launch, the official Facebook page saw over 1 lac fans • In addition to traditional media, the AirFryer launch also created buzz online with 10 tweets and 2 Facebook posts by key technology media • Launch exceeded business targets, surpassing sales goals (sales numbers are confidential)

Execution

Driven by PR, the three phase launch over two months involved: 1 - Pre-launch: • Product seeding, demo with top lifestyle media created buzz • Teaser invite - Philips-branded empty oil bottle hand-delivered to media 2 - Launch: • New Delhi press conference • Special cook-out zone at press conference provided live demonstrations by guest chefs and air-fried food sampling • One-on-one media interactions with Philips spokesperson, guest chefs • New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Indore press release distribution 3 - Post-launch: • Product seeding, demos with key influencers and media • Bangalore mall activation captured consumer attention, enabling opportunities to experience AirFryer cooking • Feature stories on lifestyle/health trends. Pitched Father’s Day stories positioning the AirFryer as a perfect gifting option. • Targeted the top 5 food bloggers through extensive online influencer outreach. Identified these bloggers through the listening program and engaged with them through product demo and seeding.

The Situation

Philips is a health and wellness company that brings products and technology that simplify life. After phenomenonal success in global markets, the Philips AirFryer was launched in the Indian market but only in select urban centres. Compared to traditional frying methods, the Philips AirFryer was seen as more expensive. Unhealthy food habits, sedentary lifestyles and lack of physical exercise put Indians at a high risk of obesity, diabetes and cardio-vascular diseases. Indians, however, are slowly becoming health conscious but do not wish to compromise on the taste of their favorite foods. They are willing to spend on options that help them maintain a healthy life with minimal compromise and effort.

The Strategy

• Position the Philips AirFryer as a brand new kitchen appliance category to provide healthy lifestyle solutions without compromising on taste • Reinforce Philips’ position as the leader and innovator in the domestic appliances space by leveraging product innovations based on consumer insights • Base key messages on strong pillars of: 1) new appliance category launch, 2) makes ”delicious yet healthy” possible, and 3) the wow factor: ‘fries with hot air’ • Understand the market/ consumer needs and build a PR campaign based on them. Highlight health benefits associated with the product and customize a substantive healthy recipe booklet designed specifically for the Indian palate. • Utilize in-depth coverage and feature stories to drive changing lifestyle and culinary trends focused on health