Bond with the youth’ seems to be the mantra at Comio Smartphones, the upcoming mid-segment smartphone brand from the stable of Topwise Communication, one of the leading original device manufacturers (ODM) from China. And with this in view, the brand managers at Comio are working on to create an ecosystem and a community—aptly called, Comionity –  that will engage with its target group on an one-to-one level. And to take this mantra forward meaningfully, the company has got associated with YouTube stars- Shraddha Sharma (actor and singer), Darshan Rawal (of India's no. 1 prankster group – Funk You) and Anisha Dixit (aka Rickshawali) to act as brand ambassadors embodying the youthful ‘Kar Daal’ (just do it) spirit.

Interestingly, the brand’s maiden 360 degree campaign across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, revolves around the tagline: ‘Don’t Listen Kar Daal’. The campaign is being further strengthened by outdoor along with a host of consumer activations including association with the country’s largest music festival- Enchanted Valley Carnival and creating buzz around the event with series of engagements with colleges all over India. And through the campaign, the brand has already reached out to over 40 million consumers across various digital platforms, said Sanjay Kumar Kalirona, CEO & director, Comio India.

The campaign coincides with the company’s plan to ramp up its manufacturing capacity in India and come up as one of the top three brands in the segment within 2022. “Comio is investing close to Rs 250 crore in manufacturing over the next two years and we are planning to set up our own 100 per cent Comio owned manufacturing facility by end of this financial year. All our focus right now is within the mid-segment smartphone category. We aim to become one of the top 3 brands within the segment by 2022, hence it is important that we master this category and continue to win the hearts of the consumer with the best offerings,” said Kalirona.

Significantly, within a very short time span since the launch of Comio Smartphones in India, the company could reach its consumers with ‘Made in India’ smartphones. This is in-line with its long-term vision for the Indian market. The company is now locally assembling its smartphones through V-Sun manufacturers across 5 assembly lines and have a capacity to manufacture 2 lakh devices per month.

Justifying the company’s moves, Kalirona said that the Indian smartphone market is witnessing a boom and has grown to become the second largest smartphone market in the world. According to the International Data Corporation’s (IDC) Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, in 2017 alone, the country’s overall smartphone market registered a 14 per cent annual growth with a total shipment of 124 million units.

Significantly, the affordable mid end segment (Rs10,000-Rs 15,000 or $150-$230) was the fastest growing segment (+52 per cent) in CY 2017, according to Counterpoint Technology Market Research. India is a price sensitive market yet smartphone users are looking for the bets offerings, there the mid-segment smartphones are highly preferred. On the basis of the study released by CyberMedia Research on their latest Budget Smartphones Channel Audit Survey 2018, ‘Smartphone Quality’ and ‘Sales Support’ emerged as the key for success of a brand in India. Comio is the only new brand with a positive and healthy Net Promoter Score of 11. The untapped demand in the lower-tier cities remains the key attraction for brands to explore the growth trajectory in India, he said.

At present, Comio has 5 smartphones in the market, C1, P1, S1 Lite, C2 Lite and has recently launched X1 Note. “We will continue to bring out new and innovative smartphones each year, designed to meet the consumers’ needs and preferences,” said  Kalirona.

ritwikmukherjee@mydigitalfc.com