Orient Electric, previously known for fans, expanded into lighting and appliances but lacked brand identity. A new CEO launched a rebranding to Orient Electric to position it as a lifestyle electrical solutions provider. The CEO invested in manufacturing capabilities for CFLs and LEDs in India. He aims to achieve Rs. 1000 crore in lighting revenue by 2020 and enter new segments like low voltage switchgear. A new brand identity and integrated campaign were created by ad agency JWT to boost Orient Electric as a technology-focused brand catering to consumer needs.

1. STRATEGY
SEL32 May-June 2014
F
IVE YEARS AGO WHEN ORIENT FANS, THE COUNTRY’S
number two fan manufacturer, forayed into lighting
and later home appliances, many felt it was aping
peers such as CG, Bajaj and Havells. And that it was
doing so with little ammunition to capture markets and
no media strategy to gain mind space.
Fast forward to the present. At the company’s
headquarters in New Delhi we find the company’s
15-month CEO Manoj Verma and his newly appointed
branding head reviewing a changed goal sheet: ‘Talk
the language of a complete lifestyle electrical solutions
provider, address Gen-X’. Verma wants to achieve this
through a new brand identity; Orient Electric which
is accompanied by a logo in orange, and launch an
integrated campaign that will enable Orient to assert
itself as a potent player in home appliances and
lighting.
Ever the radical, Verma explained the philosophy
and strategy behind Orient’s re-branding in a no-holds-
barred interview with SEL. Here are the edited excerpts.
“The word ‘electricals’ has trade
connotations while ‘electric’ relates to
technology and the power of manufacturing”

2. STRATEGY
to our parent CK Birla Group’s philosophy,
we didn’t play the trading game just as in
fans business. We got on to the technology
platform by setting up a CFL unit in
Faridabad that brings out 1.2 million
burners a month, while the balance is
outsourced. We are currently working at
enhancing the production capacity, which
would fructify by fiscal end.
Initially we were outsourcing the
electronics for CFLs, but within six
months a decision was taken to integrate
backward in terms of designing PCBs and
manufacturing them as well.
Why this decision to integrate, when
importing is probably a more economic
option?
At the heart of a CFL is electronics,
which is not only the stamp of quality
and reliability but also determines its
life in the Indian context. European
or Chinese circuits work at a different
voltage, frequency and temperature
dynamics. While the imported circuits
function at 220V plus and minus 3V, in
our country what’s needed is circuits that
respond to 230V plus and minus 10%.
This is as per law. But in reality the range
is 90V on the lower side and 280V on the
upper!
We needed circuits that can work at
the 3°C of Delhi winters and 48°C of
summers in Bihar. Today, all our lamps
are fitted with the company’s PCBs that
are designed to suit Indian conditions.
Our company’s average monthly PCB
capacity at Noida is 2.5 million.
What’s your game plan for LEDs?
Manufacturing only CFLs isn’t a
sustainable business model. So we looked
at other options such as HID lamps, but
the talking point in the industry was
LED. We thought it’s better to channelise
our energy and resources into new
lighting rather than pursuing traditional
lighting. The company had a skeletal
LED program before I joined, which was
waiting to be brought to life. We decided
to focus on designing and manufacturing
drivers and working on thermal
management; the rest could be done
through contract manufacturing. The
rationale was that having created these
two competencies, which account for 70%
of the product’s value, we would be left
with assembly which could be done in
house if viable.
What was your key challenge at the
distribution level?
Till we had just CFLs in our basket,
dealers and distributors didn’t show
much interest in us. During the last 15
months we concentrated on building an
attractive portfolio in order to get entry
into counters. We now have GLS, linear
fluorescent, T5 and LED.
Orient as a brand has had a weak presence
in the west and south. Has anything being
done to ramp up distribution in these
regions?
That’s no longer true, at least in the
west. In the last 15 months, we have
changed our position in lighting as well
as fans. We recorded 40-50% increase
in dealership numbers by focussing on
the best of the channel partners. With
regard to our presence in south, I don’t
have qualms in accepting that we are
weak there [laughs].
As a fans marketer, Orient has depended on
retail. But in lighting, the LED business in
particular is being driven by projects owing
to price sensitivity and awareness deficiency
of end-consumers about new lighting. What
is your plan for projects?
In fans we always wanted to be like that.
But in lighting our company will cater to
retail and projects. In the next few months
Orient Electric will look at opening brand
stores on the lines of experience centres.
In June we are releasing downlighters,
2x2 tiles, high bay lights, street lights
and flood lights to address the growing
projects business.
Have you set a target for the lighting
business?
We want to clock lighting revenues of
`1,000 crore by 2020.
Going forward, will Orient Electric enter any
other segment?
We will roll out manufactured low voltage
switchgear by November. n
Mrinmoy Bhattacharjee
SEL 33May-June 2014
First things first, how did Orient’s identity
transition happen?
When I came on board, the lighting
business was known as Orient Fans,
the business head of appliances was
designated ‘business head appliances-
Orient Fans’, our email ID and website
too was @orientfans. We changed this
to Orient Electricals and later to Orient
Electric, realising that the word ‘electricals’
has trade connotations while ‘electric’
relates to technology and the power of
manufacturing.
So, Orient Electric emerged as an
umbrella brand which could unify our
entire business. The new brand identity,
aided by the orange logo, will enable us
to walk and talk the same language, and
have similar product and packaging. We
were quite sure that if we do this, we will
attain a multiplier effect in terms of brand
worth. And we are getting it ever since we
launched the identity in mid-April.
Your tag-line says ‘switch to smart’…
The next generation is smarter; they are
more aware, decisive, vibrant, clear-sighted
and straight faced and do not beat around
the bush. We intend to say, “You are
smart, so are our products that have been
developed keeping in view your desire for
lifestyle and convenient solutions. So, why
don’t you switch to smart products of our
company?”
The larger message that we want
to convey is that our company is not a
product-centric one, because being that
would be looking in the rear view mirror.
We are now an outward looking company
that makes what Gen-X wants.
What made you change track?
For 40-50 years we were happy playing
the fans game, until we realised that
the company should look at businesses
that have synergies in terms of route to
market or target audience. We found that
lighting and home appliances are arenas
where opportunities exist for us.
To be a serious player in lighting, you need
to have manufacturing muscle. How has
Orient evolved as a manufacturer?
We entered lighting with CFLs and attained
volume and size in that segment. Adhering

3. STRATEGY
SEL34 May-June 2014
Brand Talk
Multinational marketing communications firm JWT was
commissioned to design a new brand identity for Orient Paper
& Industries’ electric division. Creative head Kalpita Bose gave
SEL an insider’s view of the design stages of the new identity -
Orient Electric.
Pre-production
Client’s concerns
Orient until now always had a product
forward strategy. They started with fans,
then lighting and subsequently appliances.
The company was largely known for fans
and had great equity in the sector. This
equity was entrusted to the lighting and
appliances verticals. They now intend to
widen their offerings to include any and
all electric solutions. The idea of re-
inventing the brand was to shed the image
of being a fan brand, and become a
complete electric solutions brand. So, we
have created an identity for brand Orient
that is relevant to its growing audience
and growing SBUs (strategic business
units). Additionally, in the process of this
progression we have styled the brand to
be relevant to today’s times and audience.
Elements of brand Orient
We learned through our consumer
interactions that they went to different
brands for different electrical solutions.
They seek the best
brand in lighting,
the best in
a p p l i a n c e s ,
and largely the
loyalty with
Orient lies in
the fans. There is
no one brand that
they can go to for all electric solutions.
Brand perception, challenges & goals
We spent a lot of time with stakeholders
of the company to understand their
vision and intent of the brand. Orient has
a highly motivated team that is gunning
for serious product innovations. But there
is a vast difference in what happens on
the product development side and what
the consumers feel about Orient. We have
tried to bridge that gap through a new
brand promise and identity.
Production
The identity
The biggest challenge was to strike a
balance between the newness and energy,
and the solid trust and legacy that this
brand beholds. It had to be an identity
that would relate to a vast consumer set
ranging from business units to homes,
young new couples, to the existing loyal
customers and users of fans and geysers.
Creative strategy
The creative strategy for Orient Electric
was to infuse a lot of fun, energy and
spunk into the brand. The idea was to go
beyond just a logo, and design a fun and
playful visual language, tonality and brand
behaviour.
Logo, colour
The design is an elegant blend of style
and solidity. It aptly captures the legacy
of Orient’s performance and at the same
time gives it a chic, modern appeal. The
vivid orange colour represents a new
attitude of vibrancy,
youthfulness and
an insatiable
enthusiasm for
creativity. This
fresh identity
connects with
the exciting
dreams of the new
generation without compromising on the
values of warmth and comfort. With this
identity, Orient is all set to cater to every
expectation of today’s smart families
nestling in equally intelligent homes.
Post-production
Implement the new identity
Now we need to develop and extend
the identity across various surfaces, to
ensure it comes alive the way we have
imagined it. n
Mrinmoy Bhattacharjee
Manufacturing
Channel
Technology
Electronics
M-SIPS
Design
ECBC
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