Posted:
Sounak Mitra | New Delhi June 27, 2013 Last Updated at 18:00 IST
H&R Johnson ropes in Katrina Kaif as brand ambassador in a multi-crore deal
A leader in tile making segment, the company the company has revenue of Rs 1,887 crores
Over the past 55 years, H&R Johnson has operated as one of the leading tile makers in India. Now, the Rs 1,887-crore company has felt the need to step out beyond just tiles.
To establish a direct connect with the consumers, H&R Johnson has signed Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif as its brand ambassador to endorse all its established and new business segments.
As part of the multi-crore contract, which would be valid for two years, Katrina will endorse Johnson tiles, bathroom products, engineered marble & quartz and modular kitchen businesses that are relatively new for the company.
H&R Johnson (India), which is part of the Rs 5,212-crore Prism Cements, is getting a celebrity brand ambassador for the first time as part of its brand refresh exercise.
According to industry sources, Katrina's endorsement fees ranges between Rs 2.5 crore to Rs 8 crore for a period of two to three years, depending on the deal type. At present, Katrina also endorses Audi, Sony, Etihad Airways, Pantene, Nakshatra, Lux Soap, Slice beverage and Berger Paints.
"Johnson's association with Katrina reinforces the values Katrina stands for, namely, her global image, freshness and contemporariness," said Sushil Matey, Chief Operating Officer, H&R Johnson (India).
Meanwhile, Katrina is the first celebrity to endorse a modular kitchen brand. In bathroom products category, Cera Sanitaryware had roped in Dia Mirza for television commercial in 2012.
"My home is my personal space. It's my retreat and at the end of a long day at work, it always feels good to be home. And, Johnson is one of the most trusted and globally renowned home lifestyle brands," said Katrina in an email.
H&R Johnson, which plans to invest two to three% of its revenue in marketing, will run a 360 degree campaign featuring Katrina over the next two years that would be developed by Ogilvy's sister agency Soho Squar. It has also roped in Hungama Digital as the digital marketing partner.
"Over the last 10- 15 years, the consumers' brand awareness in home lifestyle category has increased manifold. There is an urgent need to address both the B2C and B2B segment," added Matey.
The company has already firmed up plans to invest about Rs 400 crore for capacity expansion. Part of this will be used to expand capacity of its industrial tiles manufacturing to 54 million square meters per annum at its factory Dewas, Madhya Pradesh, and about Rs 40 crore would be invested at two factories Baddi & Jammu.
It currently has more than 1200 dealers, 15000 sub-dealers, 33 modern retail stores, 100 shop-in-shops across the country.
H&R Johnson competes with Kajaria Ceramics and Somany Ceramics in India.
http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/h-r-johnson-ropes-in-katrina-kaif-as-brand-ambassador-in-a-multi-crore-deal-113062700733_1.html
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