Edition : Bangalore

New Delhi, Oct 9: It’s that time of the year again. The weather is cooling down, festivities have begun, sweet shops are beginning to do brisk business and one can even hear the stray fire-cracker lighting up the street. With Diwali approaching, can marketers bear to stay away? The annual ritual of giving away gifts, discounts, promotions, freebies etc. has taken off in all in glory. Again, it is time when consumers get tempted to replace their old TVs, Acs or even the music systems.

Not surprising that the Rs.30,000 crore Indian consumer durable sector is breathing fire to light up its fortunes this season. Most players, big or small, indigenous or global, have their boardroom strategies in action. They’re all in a spree to outdo one another. While some are offering scrumptious freebies on their existing product offerings, others have substantially expanded their product portfolio.

Leading the pack is the home appliances major, Whirlpool, which has kick started the season by unleashing an exciting Diwali offer, ‘Magic ka Maska Lagao’ and four new product ranges. Whirlpool is hoping to achieve a sales growth of 40% over 2005. Affirms Arvind Uppal, MD, Whirlpool India: “25% of our annual sales occur during September and October and we do massive promotions to inform customer about our products and discounts. “ Haier, from the land of the dragon, is also sprucing up its act with its campaign: “Lucky, Luckier, Luckiest Offer’.

This year even the consumer durable segment boasts a valuable debutant, in the form of software behemoth Microsoft. More joy to the gaming enthusiasts this Diwali: Microsoft’s Gen- Next gaming console, Xbox 360 was unveiled in September this year and Microsoft is leaving no stone unturned in grabbing vast retail spaces to announce its presence. “During festival time, Indian families make maximum purchases of consumer durables and when it comes to spending on entertainment its Diwali time when people buy more,” exults Mohit Anand, country head, Microsoft India. Riding the wave, Sony India has launched its next generation media devices and the Blue – ray disc.

LG has launched 11 new models of flat panel television: our desi Godrej recently launched its EON range of frost free refrigerators. Not only that, it has investment plans of Rs.100 crore, George Menezes, COO of Godrej appliance division, explains, “We will use innovation as our main platform for future to manufacture appliances.”

Tatas, with their Voltas brand, have roped in the UK retail major Woolworths who will escort the Tatas for venturing into ‘white goods retailing’.

Small wonder then that LG has designed its promotional scheme “LG Toon Dhoom’ keeping in mind the buying behaviour of rural and semi-urban areas. Marketers are knocking harder and when the floodgates of rural and semi-urban India finally open fully, there is bound to be a caraclysmic change in the Indian market’s growth story.

Last year, LG recorded sales of Rs.380 million from gift vouchers alone, and this time with Junior B and Tom & Jerry promoting their unique campaigns, LG will definitely strike big, But Whirlpool, Godrej and others are also well-equipped with a great product portfolio and discount schemes. By the way, if you are not the proverbial brand loyalist, just deals scratch those stickers, redeem those coupons.., who knows you may get lucky or even luckier.