› Micromax – A Brand for the Masses
Micromax is an Indian consumer electronic brand which has its headquarters in Gurugram, Haryana. The initial business of this company was into software development which later changed to mobile handset manufacturing.
The company was founded in the year 2000 by Rahul Sharma and three other members and it has been 18 years since its incorporation. The company started selling mobile phones in the year 2008 and the youth welcomed this player by open arms.
The aim of this company has always been to introduce phone which have unique and different features compared to the phones which are available in the market. For instance, this company makes a phone called as X1i which has a month-long battery life and gives the user a phone with a long battery life!
2014 was considered as a peak year for this brand. The company overtook the sales in India of the global leader Samsung and became the no.1 player in the market. This was in quarter 1 of 2014. It was in the same year where Micromax created another record by being the only Indian mobile company to sell in Russia.
In the year 2016, Micromax announced a strategic partnership with digital payments company TranServ and major global payments technology Visa to offer the next generation of payment solutions in India.
› Micromax and its Product Line
Micromax is not only into mobile handset manufacturing but also into a lot of other electronic gadgets.
Micromax Product Line:
- Smartphones
- Tablet computers
- Air conditioners
- LED TVs
- Laptops
- Power banks
- Sound bars
In the year 2010, Micromax entered into the tablet computer market and launched the Funbook series. In the same year they launched their most loved smartphone the Canvas series in Russia called the Canvas Knight A350. n the same year, Micromax launched the Android One smartphone, Canvas A1. In November 2014, Micromax partnered with Cyanogen Inc. to provide Cyanogen-based smartphones in India, under the brand name YU. With the launch of YU, Micromax also entered the fitness gadget market in India.
In 2015, another never seen before product in the world was launched by Micromax which was called as the Micromax Sliver 5 – the slimmest smartphone in the world. The operating system of Micromax is Android but the company also markets smartphones which operate on Microsoft Windows Phone.
#TechFact – The company is an official Windows Phone 8.1 hardware partner.
Lately the brand is trying to keep up with the Chinese mobile giants which have entered the Indian smartphone market. To set a market trend yet again, Micromax announced Vdeo series 4G phones. Vdeo series is aimed at entry-level smartphone buyers, or first-time smartphone users. This has been the stronghold of Micromax in India. Micromax have also introduced these phones in Russia. So far, Micromax has already launched 3 models – Vdeo 2, Vdeo 4, and Vdeo 5. The company is expected to consistently update this range with new iterations.
In the year 2017, Micromax launched its first bezel-less smartphone. This phone was priced at Rs. 5000 but had a brilliant 16 mega pixel camera which made it extremely popular amongst the users.
› Celebrity Endorsements and Branding of Micromax
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» Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna
Micromax has always been a very stylish brand since the launch of its phone Micromax Bling which was endorsed by Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar and his wife Twinkle Khanna. They were also the first celebrities to endorse this brand widely in India.
» Hugh Jackman
The Hollywood heartthrob was also associated with this brand in the year 2013 and was praised in all the commercials he did for the brand. His commercials were seen in India and Russia. He was roped in when Micromax decided to launch its flagship smartphone Canvas Turbo A250. Hugh Jackman endorsed all the high-end Canvas series smartphones manufactured by Micromax.
» Anil Kapoor
The ‘jhakaas’ man of Bollywood is the current brand ambassador of this smartphone and consumer electronics giant. The actor was roped in when the company decided to launch LED and smart televisions, laptops, air conditioners over the last few years and planned to invest Rs. 200 crores in the year 2017 on the existing line of products.
Anil Kapoor on his association with the brand “It gives me immense pleasure to be a part of the Micromax family. Working with one of the most reputed technology brands from India which is not only the leading players but a game changer in this space, invokes a great sense of pride”.
› Top 3 Reasons for the Success of Micromax
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» Manufacturing Base: The manufacturing base of the company is in China. The company has marked out people who were working in technology giants like Apple and Samsung to make it big in India. A company called as FoxConn also manufactures handsets for Micromax now.
» Target Market: The target market of Micromax has always been the rural India. It always thought of the people who wanted more in less. For instance, launch the 30-day battery phone or dual sim smart phone. Both of these phones were a super hit in the target market and were extremely affordable.
» Brand Endorsements and Targeted Marketing: Micromax has kept in mind that people connect with Bollywood starts and famous personalities. With this approach, the brand had premium celebrities campaigning for the products, but the phones were sold at affordable prices compared to all the other brands trying to do the same thing. It has also always been looking at ways to be a part of the fashion and glamour world so that it can connect with the common man through their favorite celebrities.
Micromax might not be a popular player today, but whenever it launches a new phone, technology or any consumer electronic it creates a buzz in the market.
With so much enhancement in every product manufactured by the company, it is bound to stay and be loved in the Indian smartphone market for good!
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