Signify focusses on digital marketing, young celebs, and influencers to reach young consumers

Nikhil Gupta, head of marketing, strategy, govt affairs, and CSR, Signify Greater India, aims to maintain the brand's appeal across generations.

LED lighting services company Signify, formerly known as Philips Lighting, changed its identity from the former to the latter in 2018. While globally, the brand took a corporate pivot, back home, the brand has been focussing on communicating with the younger generations.

Nikhil Gupta, head of marketing, strategy, government affairs, and CSR at Signify Greater India, shares that one of the brand’s key go-to-market brands continues to be Philips, under which it provides lighting solutions for both consumer and professional applications.

Catering to young consumers

The younger generation today is far more digitally savvy. They are always online, connected, and constantly seeking the latest technology and integrations for their digital world.

According to Gupta, the brand globally spends roughly 5% of its revenue on research and development (R&D). He adds that from the inception of the incandescent bulb to the first mass production and sales of the bulb, to the shift to fluorescent lighting and the transition to LED, Signify has always been at the forefront of these revolutions.

“We were one of the first brands to introduce connected lighting for consumers in India with our Philips Hue products. The younger generation is very comfortable with smart assistants, mobile, and app-operated products. Today, under the Philips Wi-Fi brand or range of lighting products, these powered products meet almost all lighting needs with connected options available,” says Gupta.

From basic light bulbs to downlights to decorative lighting with multiple colour options, Gupta believes that connected lighting is going to be a mainstay in the near future as the brand has noticed the preference and adoption of connected lighting increasing in India.

Banking on the same, Signify launched NatureConnect, a new lighting system designed to enhance well-being by bringing the benefits of natural light indoors on June 21, 2024. Gupta says that the brand is part of Signify’s sustainability and sustainable products line-up.

The product is designed to mimic the sky, the sun, and the natural lighting that one sees outside during the day in an enclosed indoor environment.

“It has three elements that are being launched under NatureConnect - the sky, the sun, and the natural light based on technology and it is a highly researched product. Most of us spend our days in the office enclosed within four walls and under artificial lighting, and this product brings that outdoor natural light and mimics it. We expect to grow in double digits in volume this year and post double-digit volume growth by the end of 2024,” he states.

Digital-first marketing

Signify focusses heavily on digital marketing and a bulk of its spending today is attributed towards the same. Gupta says that in the business segment, digital marketing gives an opportunity to be far more targeted towards a set of audience, and all its products in the professional space are designed for specific applications.

The brand has products designed for stadiums, street lights, retail, hospitality, offices, industry, and warehouses, and therefore, traditional media has a restriction.

“Digital marketing helps us target or reach out to the right audience directly on a one-on-one basis and therefore on the professional side, a bulk of our spending is digitally inclined. On the consumer side, we are focussing on e-commerce as it is the fastest-growing consumer segment that we have. Our advertising budgets have also been targeted towards digital advertising. But we still use a judicious mix of traditional media because our Philips and Ecolink brands continue to be mass-oriented brands in certain segments,” he explains.

Signify is also one of the major brands to enter the quick-commerce frame and has received positive inputs from consumers as per major q-comm services.

“Lighting is very essential for everyone. You would not want to spend time at your home without light at any point and therefore we believe that there is a huge potential for lighting products to be sold through quick commerce,” he adds.

Celebs and influencers

According to Gupta, Signify does not typically need a celebrity for brand awareness but supports those celebrity endorsements that share similar values and reach similar target groups (TGs) that the brand focusses on.

He believes that celebrity investment continues to be extremely important and beneficial for brands. There is a mutual benefit that both a brand and a celebrity can gain through a partnership effort, and that is where Bollywood actor Sanya Malhotra stepped in as the brand ambassador.

The company partnered with the actor in 2022. Gupta shares that seeing her active on social media, connecting well with fans, posting original content, and reaching out to the younger generation was the moment the brand decided to bring on a face that could take its proposition forward.

“Philips is a legacy brand, and we want it to continue to hold the same amount of love, respect, and recognition among the younger generation that the slightly middle-aged or older generation enjoyed. This is where I think our association with Sanya Malhotra works very well,” remarks Gupta.

He also highlights that influencers play a huge role and the brand has always been working with them.

“With the new technology we are trying to introduce in the market, we see many technology influencers with huge followings. We are also seeing many new influencers emerging in the area of home decor who have large fanbases, so we work closely with them. These influencers evaluate our products and are very candid with their feedback, which they share with their audiences,” he adds.