Celebrity endorsement boost

As competition in the Indian smartphone market heats up, home-grown mobile handset vendor Intex Technologies looks to focus on marketing. Domestic handset-maker company Intex Technologies is planning to invest Rs 1,500 crore in manufacturing and R&D in the next two-three years in order to contribute to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make-in-India initiave.

Last year, Intex Technology entered into an agreement with Rajasthan State Industrial Development and Investment Corporation (RIICO) to set up a 50 acre manufacturing facility in Karoli in Bhiwadi region to make mobile phones, LED TV and allied products.

The company already has two manufacturing facilities in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. The company also targeting simultaneously it would also generate 3,000 jobs in the country. It plans to invest Rs 1,000 crore in manufacturing and Rs 500 crore in analysis and improvement within the subsequent two to three years.

However, the success of two television commercials (TVCs), where it roped in actor-director Farhan Akhtar as the brand ambassador and the focus on premium offerings, is likely to bring about a change. According to Intex Technologies, its TVCs and branding initiatives doubled mobile phone sales over the last 10 months from 4-5 lakh pieces a month to around 10 lakh pieces a month.

Nearly 15 per cent of the handsets sold are smartphones. In this category, sales trebled to 150,000 from 50,000 (a month). Intex Technologies has roped in Tollywood star Mahesh Babu as its Brand Ambassador for Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, to reiterate its commitment to South India’s telecom market. Mahesh Babu’s association coincides with the launch of the Intex Aqua Trend, which was introduced at an event in Hyderabad. Intex has fixed an operating price of Rs 9,444 for this latest addition to its range of products.