Both the print ad campaign and promotion are targeted at projecting the USP of the product, which is, in fact, the Samsung microwave's USP worldwide: it is the only microwave with a ceramic enamel-coated cavity instead of the stainless steel interior in other brands.

Prepared by Mudra Delhi, the print ad campaign therefore, focuses on educating the consumer about the benefits of ceramic-enamel coating: it helps retain essential vitamins, speeds up cooking due to 2.5 times more heat retention than steel cavities, and renders the microwave rust-proof, scratch-proof and thus more hygienic.

The print ads will appear in mainline newspapers andselect women's magazines. Besides the ceramic enamel and scratch-proof advantage, the campaign focuses on Samsung's global dominance in microwaves. According to J H Park, vice-president, marketing: ``Samsung is No.1 in the world in microwave ovens. It is the only company to have produced 50 million ovens in a short span of 19 years (1979-99).'' Taking an aggressive position in the marketplace, the ad also uses a comparative chart to underline the feature-based benefits of Samsung microwaves, in comparison to the microwaves from competitors like BPL, LG and IFB.

The ad campaign will run for three months till the festive season, when special offers will begin. Around this period the company will also add three new models to its present 20-litre and 26-litre models priced at Rs 13,990 and Rs 17,490, respectively. The new models will have more advanced, consumer-friendly features, besides several colour options, other than the current white. Special regionwise training programmes for sales teams will beconducted prior to the launch of the new models.

Will the consumer scratch and sniff?

A special `Scratch & Believe Campaign,' has been designed to support the advertisement's twin claims of the `ceramic enamel advantage' and the `scratch challenge.' After a successful run in the Korean market in the first half of 1999, this campaign will be launched in the Indian market in August 1999.

It involves providing unique POP/POS material at select dealer outlets: the POP/POS consists of stainless steel and ceramic enamel material fixed on to an acrylic sheet. This will be given to the customer, who can scratch the two surfaces and sample the scratch resistant attributes of the two materials. Says Park, ``The idea behind the campaign is to give the customer a chance to experience the anti-scratch properties of the ceramic enamel cavity and thereby be convinced of the unique benefits he will derive from possessing the product.''

Other marketing activity includes a co-promotion with Elle magazinein its July 1999 issue in the form of a customer contest in which prizes include Samsung Microwave ovens. The company is also introducing a zero per cent interest finance scheme with Country-wide Finance for sales made between July-September 1999.

To promote microwaves as a cooking device rather than a mere heating device, the company is providing the Samsung Book of Indian Microwave Cooking by Rohini Singh, with the purchase of every microwave. Cooking classes will also be conducted at its 18 branch offices all over India for existing and potential customers by cookery experts.

Samsung introduced microwaves in the Indian market in January 1998 and till March '99 imported kits. Its Noida manufacturing unit has a capacity of 50,000 units per annum. Samsung is targeting a market share of over 20 per cent this year, assuming that the size of the total market will increase to around 1,20,000 units. In 1998, its market share was 7 per cent in a total market of 80,000 units, says the company.