Month: September 2024

Schneider Electric India is gearing up for a significant expansion in its B2C business, driven by the rising demand for smart home solutions and premium electrical products. The company, which has been operating under a ‘Two Brand Two Sales’ strategy in the country with Schneider Electric and L&T Switchgear brands, has recently rebranded L&T Switchgear to Lauritz Knudsen.

As part of its B2C push, the brand is planning to launch a high-decibel integrated marketing campaign to build the Lauritz Knudsen brand.

In a recent interaction with exchange4media, Rajat Abbi, VP-Global Marketing, CMO, Greater India, Schneider Electric also shared that the company is making significant investments in marketing and communications. Its media mix is heavily skewed towards digital, with 60-70% of its spending allocated to digital channels. The remaining budget is split between BTL activities like activations, events, and ATL.

Additionally, the ongoing festive season is also set to witness a range of marketing initiatives by the brand aided by an increase in festive marketing spending this year.

Edited excerpts:

With L&T Switchgear now becoming Laurtiz Knudsen, tell us what’s in store for the brand going forward.

In 2020, we acquired the Electrical and Automation business from Larsen and Toubro. Since then, we have been operating under a ‘Two Brand Two Sales’ strategy in the country with Schneider Electric and L&T Switchgear brands. The name has however now changed from L&T Switchgear to Lauritz Knudsen.

With this brand launch, we are gearing up to roll out a high decibel integrated marketing campaign. Our new brand campaign and film, created by Law & Kenneth Saatchi & Saatchi of Publicis Groupe, will go live across various channels including ATL, BTL, digital, and outdoor marketing to build the Lauritz Knudsen brand in the country.

What about Schneider Electric India? How has your target consumer evolved?

In response to the growing demand for smart homes in India, we launched the Wiser 2.0 Smart Home Automation range of products, allowing consumers to monitor their energy consumption in real time through an app, providing insights into electricity usage for various appliances. Additionally, we introduced ‘Miluz Lara’, a range of switches that can monitor air quality (AQI), a crucial feature for pollution-affected cities like Delhi.

We are also planning five to six city Innovation Days across India, to showcase innovations like ‘Miluz Lara’ and Wiser 2.0, as well as new B2B products, in metros and tier II cities.  The idea is to present our offerings to customers before the festive season, which is a peak time for home improvement and electrical upgrades in India.

While this inclination towards a B2C business model helps you trace your consumer’s journey, how are you doing that for B2B?

The majority of our business comes from B2B, which is extremely complex. Unlike B2C, where the end consumer is the decision maker, B2B involves multiple influencers in the decision-making process. This includes end customers, panel builders, electrical consultants, architects, contractors, electricians, and more. So, the journey is extremely complex.

Aligned with this approach, we have identified and defined 9-10 target personas which includes builders, electricians, retailers, distributors, and end customers. In B2B, we have also adopted a digital first strategy. This encompasses having a user-friendly website, deploying sharp sales, and marketing automation, including email marketing etc.

Social media plays a crucial role, with platforms like Instagram gaining momentum in B2B space. While Facebook’s role has diminished, platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Google search continue to be pivotal. LinkedIn is another significant channel for reaching the C-suite and larger B2B audiences.

We are conducting numerous inbound marketing campaigns. Moment marketing, delivering the right message at the right time, is a key part of our B2B strategy. We are also using ATL in a sharp and targeted way to connect to our Target audiences.

When it comes to B2C, we are becoming more aggressive. We have a clear strategy to expand significantly in this space.

Moving forward, expect to see substantial marketing investments from us, particularly focused on building our brand in the B2C market.

What are you seeing that is making you focus on B2C?

Due to the rising disposable income of people and their appetite for more premium products, their desire for automation and value-added features are increasing.

So what is your total budget for this B2C focus going forward?

I can’t talk about specific numbers, but I can say that a significant percentage of our marketing and communication spending will go towards B2C businesses to create greater customer pull. We will be a more visible brand in the coming months, with special focus on B2C categories. At the same time we will continue to engage with our B2B audiences through 360 degree marcom initiatives.

What about your media mix? Can you share the divide between your ATL, on-ground, and digital spends?

Media is already heavily digital. About 60% to 70% of our spending is on digital, and they will continue to be so. The remaining budget is split between BTL, which includes activations, events, and ATL. It varies from business to business.

For example, with Lauritz Knudsen (formerly L&T Switchgear), we have invested in creating a new advertising campaign by working with leading advertising and media agencies. So, a lot of investment in ATL is going to happen for that brand. But ATL will be very sharp because, at the end of the day, we want minimal wastage.

What about CTV? Where does that stand in your media strategy?

Connected TV is critical. In tier-1 cities, most of the consumers we target use connected TV. It’s significant, and for Schneider Electric, when we did our Women’s Day campaign, connected TV was a key platform.

It will be one of our lead platforms for both Lauritz Knudsen and Schneider Electric brands because it offers a better audience and better conversion rates for our target personas. It fits well into our overall strategy.

Many brands are shifting focus back to brand building and awareness after a heavy focus on performance marketing and digital over the past few years. Is this the case with Schneider Electric as well?

We have a simple mantra for marketing: you have to build the brand and the business. There has to be a balance. For B2B, performance marketing is crucial. We run sharp, targeted campaigns, for instance, targeting data center end-users or influencers via LinkedIn, Google search, and other online platforms. However, with the increasing competition, it’s essential to invest in brand building.

Fortunately, I work for a company that is big on sustainability, a topic everyone wants to discuss.

Building a brand like this involves responsible marketing practices. Last year, we conducted Schneider Electric Innovation Yatra, a six-month carbon-neutral campaign across 60 cities in India. This year, we renewed our partnership with the Rajasthan Royals for the third year in a row as their sustainability partners.

As an impact company, we are seeking associations that align with sustainability to build our brand and business.

Any plans for the festive season particularly?

For the festive season, we plan to make a significant impact with our branding efforts in the electrical markets. You will see unique market activations for both Lauritz Knudsen and Schneider Electric in key electrical markets across the country. Our category heavily relies on ground purchases, where consumers prefer to touch and feel the products. Therefore, we will showcase our new offerings alongside extensive retail branding.

Additionally, we are planning robust digital campaigns, including new digital lead films. For example, we are working on a new film for Wiser 2.0, scheduled for release in late September or early October, right before Navratri.

For Lauritz Knudsen, the festive season presents a prime opportunity to engage with our audience. We will launch a major media campaign during Diwali, focusing on retail markets with outdoor activations and leveraging both traditional and digital media.

As compared to the first half of the year how much increase can we expect in your marketing investments for the festive period?

The festive season will see a significant investment. For us, festivals extend beyond Diwali to include Ganesh Chaturthi in Maharashtra, Onam in Kerala, Durga Puja in West Bengal, and many others. Our investments will be strategically focused, with a substantial portion of our marketing communications centred around these festive times. We are not only increasing our spending but also introducing innovative marketing initiatives, which is why many of our product launches are scheduled during this period.

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To view the original version on ABNewswire visit: Expect big marketing investments from Schneider Electric India, mostly on B2C: Rajat Abbi

Schneider Electric has shuffled its channel team turning to an internal candidate to find its next European channel chief.

Power specialist Schneider Electric has announced the appointment of Hanne Sjøberg as its Europe vice-president of channels, secure power division, with a brief to lead the firm’s partner organisation.

She replaces David Terry, who had been running channels for more than a decade, but now moves into a newly formed role leading the firm’s emerging artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem.

Sjøberg has been with the vendor since 2016, and has held the role of vice-president of customer satisfaction and quality for the past two and half years. Her input was crucial in enhancing the firm’s position and the focus on CX fed into the EcoXpert partner programme that was introduced in July.

Her CV includes some serious channel experience, with a spell as managing director at TD Synnex Denmark before she joined Schnieder.

“I have always been fascinated by the speed of transformation taking place within the technology sector, and more so considering the growing demand for AI, critical IT, and sustainability solutions. I’m excited to begin my new role and look forward to working with our partners to ensure they’re equipped with the tools, training and support to meet these evolving market opportunities,” she said.

Sjøberg joins at a time when the incentives and enhancements for partners have been coming along on a regular basis, including increased support for e-commerce partners and enabling more sustainability progress through products and programmes.

Marc Garner, Schneider Electric’s senior vice president of secure power for Europe, said that Sjøberg had the skills the firm was looking for, including “her passion for people, sustainability and innovation”, which he said would be integral to both the success of the EcoXpert partner programme, as well as planned product, commercial and partner initiatives.

At the same time, Garner took the time to mark the contribution made by Terry running the channel and underlined the importance of his next role: “I’d also like to take the opportunity to thank David Terry for his exceptional channel leadership during the past eleven years, and I look forward to our continued work together as we target the evolving ecosystem around AI.”

Terry was responsible for making some fundamental changes during his tenure, including extending distribution relationships with Arrow Electronics, ATEA and Bechtle, and was in the channel hot seat during a period when sustainability became increasingly important and required answers from both the vendor and its channel.

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To view the original version on ABNewswire visit: Schneider Electric welcomes European channel chief

Danone Evian’s longstanding partnership with Schneider Electric dates back to 1994, founded on Schneider’s robust hardware solutions for the manufacturer’s distribution network.

Embarking on a journey to modernise its facilities, Danone Evian has, once again, enlisted Schneider Electric’s expertise through its Service and Modernisation Plan.

As a leading producer of natural mineral water, Danone Evian is deeply committed to the sustainability and preservation of water resources, according to Gilles Meunier, Electrical Distribution Manager at Evian.

“Our business as mineral water producers is not only bottling this resource but above all preserving and protecting it,” he said.

With an eye on sustainability, Danone Evian’s facility in Évian-les-Bains, France, which boasts 14 production lines for 33 product variants, is undergoing a significant modernisation.

Schneider Electric is at the forefront, modernising Danone Evian’s electrical installations, bringing tangible improvements.

A sustainable partnership in motion

Danone Evian’s objective has been to enhance its bottling practices for safety, sustainability and efficiency.

• Increasing energy efficiency to achieve sustainability goals

• Reducing CO₂ emission by adopting circularity

• Controlling operating budget while achieving the highest possible uptime

• Maintaining the continuity of operations during modernisation work

Through a well-orchestrated plan, Schneider Electric took a holistic approach, starting with an EcoConsult audit to assess needs and identify upgrades, leading to substantial updates, including the introduction of advanced Schneider hardware solutions and the eco-friendly disposal of outdated equipment.

“As our clients and other global enterprise companies scale up their sustainability capabilities, we anticipate a growing need for precision technology and tools required to meet their evolving needs,” added Steve Wilhite, President, Schneider Electric Sustainability Business. 

Groundbreaking outcomes and future directions

The upgrade has revolutionised Danone Evian’s production lines, enabling real-time monitoring and analysis of energy usage, which informs sustainable decisions that enhance efficiency and reduce carbon footprint.

• 34% reduction of energy in KWh per 1000 bottle preforms

• Estimated savings of 70 metric tons of CO₂ and 700m³ of water saved

• 14 production lines, 33 product types, from 75 centilitres glass bottles to the six-litre carboys

Opting to modernise rather than replace has saved considerable material, water and carbon dioxide emissions, underscoring the project’s sustainability impact. Thanks to Schneider’s EcoFit, Danone Evian has avoided manufacturing eight tonnes of material, saving 700m³ of water and 70 tons of CO₂. 

The partnership between Schneider Electric and Danone Evian, founded on shared sustainability values, promises further advancements in environmentally friendly manufacturing practices.

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Country: India
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To view the original version on ABNewswire visit: Evian\’s Bottling Efficiency Journey with Schneider Electric