Bosch: Not your regular soap & suds story

A new campaign by Bosch underscores the product benefits in a quirky fashion

The advertising for washing machine brands has largely followed one of the two paths: It either shows that Brand X makes the mundane task of washing dirty linen a joyful experience for the woman of the house or it demonstrates that Brand Y makes the same task as easy as putting together a PowerPoint presentation if it is aimed at the menfolk. A new campaign by Bosch veers away from the beaten track by showing neither. Riding high on humour even as it stays true to the original narrative of a squeaky clean family situation, Bosch assures consumers they can entrust their expensive clothes to its new range of "no-damage" washing machines without thinking twice.

The "no-damage" campaign marks the entry of Bosch in the 6.5-8 kg laundry category. The television commercial featuring a couple in their early 30s opens with the man exercising indoors on a stationary cycle asking his wife not to put his expensive shirt in the washing machine as he fears that the shirt will get damaged. He tells his wife that he expects her to wash his prized shirt herself to ensure that it does not shrink or lose shape. Taking a dig at her husband, the wife replies it's not the shirt that risks losing shape but his ever-growing belly that is getting out of shape given his sedentary lifestyle.

A voice-over takes over, introducing Bosch's new washing machine range that is equipped with "VarioDrum technology with unique wave droplet design" that, the ads claim, ensures clothes are washed gently with no damage whatsoever.

"The campaign positions Bosch as a friend whom you can trust," says Gunjan Srivastava, managing director and chief executive officer, BSH Household Appliances Manufacturing. For the campaign, Bosch reached out to consumers asking them about the key problems that they face while washing clothes. "One of the gap areas that emerged was that that the Indian consumer doesn't want to put expensive or new clothes in their washing machine in the fear that they would get worn out quickly," explains Srivastava.

Bosch converted this into a new design promise encouraging consumers to put their expensive clothes into a Bosch machine without apprehension. The campaign has been conceptualised by BBDO Singapore.

Ravi Eshwar, creative director, BBDO SG, says the "trust issue" that people had with washing machines offered interesting creative possibilities to the team.

"Keeping the central theme of 'no damage', we worked backwards and constructed various relevant and relatable family scenarios, one of which is what you see," says Eshwar.

Eshwar adds, "The way we see it, here's a husband with a middle age spread, actively trying to do something about it. He isn't, for instance, sprawled out on a couch ordering his family about. It reemphasises the point that the husband and wife relationship is one of equals."

According to market research agencies, the value of the washing machine industry in India is over Rs 7,500 crore. In the top load fully automated segment, the top three players are IFB, Samsung and LG. According to industry estimates, IFB has close to 38 per cent market share, followed by Samsung (about 32 per cent) and LG (close to 30 per cent). Bosch entered the washing machine segment in 2011 and claims to have a market share of close to 15 per cent in the top load fully automated washing machine segment.

Bosch's front-loading washing machines available in the 6.5-8 kg capacity are priced between Rs 27,000 and Rs 63,000 depending on their panel size and varying features. According to Srivastava, the brand proposition is so strong and relevant that it allows Bosch to address consumers who have the purchasing power and intent to invest in front-loading washing machines that come at a higher price band than the more basic top-loading washing machines.

The brand faces the uphill task of expanding its distribution network across the country. Bosch is present in 200 cities with its products available at 1,400 multi-brand showrooms and 60 exclusively branded stores. The company is focusing on expanding its presence to 300 cities, increasing the number of multi-brand presence to 2,000 stores and taking its branded stores up from 60 to 200.