Brands these days are trying hard to create a favorable balance between their presence online and offline. Those who are present online, seek opportunities to get their brand positioned well in the online circuit while those who have a formidable online presence are often seen looking at ways to expand their business in the offline avenues.
The OnePlus Way
Smartphone maker OnePlus who has been climbing up its way to becoming a leading smartphone player in India, majorly through its online presence has now finally decided to spread its wings more and also explore the offline network extensively.
Even with a huge online presence, the brand’s growth suffers due to its negligible presence offline and also due to the affordability constraint. The brand has great demand in markets like Bangalore where every third customer is buying a OnePlus and 2 out of 3 people buy it online. Beyond the top 8 cities, the brand hardly has any offline presence, but it now all set to break chains of this restricted growth.
Brand Speak
Tasked to expand the brand and its offline presence, Vikas Agarwal, General Manager, OnePlus, India, said that the company is eyeing to set up 600+ stores in the coming months. Apart from this, they have expanded to USA and Europe this year.
Talking about product launches, Agarwal added, “While launching a product, you have to make sure the entire country is aware about it. You have to get the biggest channels available. We have even tapped properties like IPL and Asia Cup. When we do sales promotion for a short span, the print is a more suitable medium. For short-term action-based messaging, the print is the most suitable medium.”
The Social Media Presence
Without having a celebrity endorsement for most of their phones, OnePlus has done extremely well for itself, with 30% market share, the brand has focused on user-based insight-led marketing activities and strong word of mouth. The brand also boasts of a great social media presence and the engagement quotient is very high especially on Instagram. But OnePlus uses all platforms in a very intelligent way and uses the platforms to their best potential. They encourage #shotononeplus experiences and engage with users on Instagram, YouTube showcases visually appealing content from the brand, while Twitter is used to amplify announcements and Facebook to broaden the overall reach. ATL is used only during product launches.
With this clear strategy and growth plan in mind, the future of OnePlus looks a promising one indeed.
