Nokia India is keeping its cards close to its chest on the launch campaign for its Lumia smart phones, which its officials are billing as ‘the world’s first true Windows phone’. As reported by Business Line, two models are set to debut in the Indian market by mid-December.
The Lumia 800 is likely to be priced at Rs 29,999; and the 710, at Rs 19,999, said Mr Vipul Mehrotra, Director and Head of Smart Devices, India, Nokia.
Pre-booking for the phones was launched on December 5, well after the global unveil in October. Without divulging specifics on the initial response to the ‘pre-booking’, Mr Mehrotra explained that the campaign accompanying the Lumia launch - themed ‘Amazing Everyday’ - will be Nokia India’s ‘biggest ever’.
He said, “The campaign will touch consumers wherever they are, and will be about the experience rather than the phone. I can say that it will set a new benchmark, and consumers will help amplify the campaign.” He termed the budget for the campaign as ‘substantial’.
The campaign will involve television and print advertising, besides digital and social media promotions, mall activations and road shows. The launch will cover six major cities, and expand to more in a subsequent phase. The spokesman quoted estimates that 75 per cent of the market for smart phones was in the top 10 cities.
“The primary challenge will be in execution of a seamless campaign across the board, including the retail touch points. When we start selling, we will have 12,500 trained ‘brand advocates’ – Nokia employees, sales force at distributors and retailers, and promoters included,” said Mr Mehrotra.
Targeting Youth and Beyond
Lumia is targeted at the replacement market – as against first time users of a mobile. In terms of portfolio, it is expected to help Nokia in the smart phone segment, complementing its Symbian phones in the mid-range (Rs 8,000 to Rs 20,000, approximately). The spokesperson did not rule out expanding the Lumia range on either end.
“It is the existing smart phone users that we expect will move to Lumia. It has enough for ‘pro-sumers’ – the professionals who use it for official purposes and also want entertainment and seamless social media interface,” noted Mr Mehrotra.
Lumia will ‘primarily be targeted at the youth’, but Nokia is hopeful that the segment beyond will buy in too.
“Research shows that 40 per cent of the people (globally) want to be amazed with everyday experiences – that is exactly what Lumia is about,” the spokesperson surmised.