By Patrick Avenell
SYDNEY, NSW: LG Electronics yesterday announced the company’s largest ever consumer promotion. At the same time, LG marketing director David Brand said that the company was moving its marketing strategy away from branding and onto a premium product story.
Whilst the rain threatened to dampen LG’s parade yesterday at Circular Quay, Brand was all smiles as he announced that LG Australia will be giving away 36 BMW motor vehicles, each valued at around $60,000, to LG consumers.
The caveat of this promotion is that consumers must purchase from within LG’s premium product range to be eligible. This represents a concerted marketing initiative to reposition LG as the premium brand of choice amongst the Big 4. David Brand was open in his discussion of this new direction.
“It’s more about the opportunity for us at this time of the year, and the run up to Christmas, to showcase the premium range of LG products,” he told Current.com.au.
“It’s about giving consumers a reason to come in and look for the LG premium range of product and give them a chance to recognise and explore the breadth of the range.”
Consumers who purchase a product from the LG premium range between 4 September and 1 November 2009, and who register the purchase before 6 November 2009 will be in the draw.
Each week from 18 September onwards, LG will draw winners from the entry pool to take home a BMW. There will be one winner in the week, two winners in the second, three in the third and so on, until in the eighth week, the 36th and final BMW in given away. LG confirmed that there is no catch or gimmick to this promotion: 36 LG consumers will win a BMW.
With this promotion focusing on the premium products, and LG aligning itself to such a respected automobile manufacturer, we asked if the glory days of LG brand-based marketing were over, and if a new product focus was being implemented.
“It is a real effort on our behalf to recognise that we believe that we’ve got product that is able to command a premium price,” responded Brand.
“When you think about the features of the DVR, or our French Door Fridge range, we believe we’ve got a competitive offer, [one] that is able to command a premium in the marketplace when we look at what some of the competitors are offering.
“More importantly, in French Door Fridge and Laundry, in the last couple of months, [we’ve done] quite a lot of product concept and actual physical product testing with consumers, and coming out of that, we believe we’ve got a good likelihood of success in terms of premium positioning.”
Whilst confirming a new direction for LG’s local marketing, Brand was also keen to stress that it will continue to reinforce the LG brand. Examples of this are the company’s Formula One, International Cricket Council and Fulham Football Club sponsorship deals.