Q] What was the insight behind Hettich India’s ‘Open a World of Possibilities’ campaign?
Drawer systems are an important category for us, and Hettich is a well-known brand in the segment. We had to further enhance our brand imagery. As consumers become more design-conscious and drawer systems evolve with sleeker, trends-led features, we decided to tell a new story for our Linear Drawer Systems.
Every drawer is opened with a purpose. It’s opened because someone needs something from it, whether ingredients to bake or painting tools to begin an artistic journey. A drawer, therefore, is more than storage; opening it can mark the beginning of a journey. Hettich wanted to be an enabler in these journeys, turning the act of opening a drawer into opening a world of possibilities. That is what the campaign is about: moving the product and narrative from a functional level to emotive storytelling. It explores storylines not usually associated with drawers, such as an older man beginning his artistic journey at the end of his career, a young person starting their baking journey, and a woman reaching into a drawer for her gym equipment. These are the journeys Hettich wants to be part of.
Q] What impact are you aiming to drive through this campaign in terms of metrics?
There will be a search lift study to understand whether the campaign has led to an increase in searches for the brand in this category. We will also assess whether there has been an increase in awareness, purchase intent, brand favourability, and other key brand metrics.
In terms of business outcomes, we will measure whether footfall at our experience centres is increasing, along with consumer enquiries about our drawer systems. A similar approach will be followed for retail outlets too.
Q] The experience centre is an important touchpoint for Hettich consumers. How does it fit in your marketing approach?
Ours is an invisible category. The only way you can realise its presence is by experiencing it. One may not be able to get that experience in a multi-brand outlet. That is where these experience centres come into play. We take a consumer through a complete journey, from the kitchen to the living room and bedrooms.
Q] Hettich has traditionally been known as a hardware or a furniture fittings brand, but the positioning now leans towards interior solutions. What challenges have you faced in changing consumer perception?
Historically, the brand was positioned as technology for furniture. Worldwide, it is still a B2B brand. But when it was launched in India in 2001, there was a conscious call that Hettich would not be completely pitched as a B2B brand. We will also start marketing it to the end consumer. This is actually a low involvement category because the end consumer is not always aware of the hardware inside their furniture. It was a difficult task. We had to ensure that whenever the end consumer went to buy hardware for furniture, Hettich had to be on the top of their mind. It has been a journey of 25 years, but we are pleased with the way the brand has taken shape.
Q] What have been your biggest insights marketing a category that is often invisible to the consumer?
The product may not be visible but the experience the consumer has, gives them a sense of what goes behind the motion of the furniture. Think of Intel. You don’t see the chips, but you know what they are capable of doing. This is similar. For consumers to have that experience, we moved from a technology for furniture positioning, which was about highlighting the German technology and technical specifications, to a more emotive positioning of magical interior solutions, especially in terms of storytelling. We are saying that when you experience Hettich in your home, it is no short of magic.
Q] Hettich India operates on a B2B2C model, which involves different stakeholders, including architects, dealers, homeowners, etc. How do you diversify your brand messaging to communicate with these varied demographics?
It is important to ensure that the narrative we weave around each target segment is specific and tailor-made. You can’t speak with everybody in the same language.
For end consumers, it is all about communicating the experience they will get though Hettich products. Architects are design experts. For them, it is about providing design inspiration and curated experiences. Carpenters want hardware that is easy to install, so that productivity increases and they are able to churn out more work in a day. We communicate to them in a way that says using Hettich will enable them to get more business and will get people talking about their craftsmanship. With original equipment manufacturers as well, the communication is around productivity and ease of installation. Dealers want their stock to be liquidated, and look at profitability. So, the communication we have for them is around no quality issues with the brands, and high demand among consumers.
Q] Digital platforms and social media are important avenues through which end consumers make decisions. How are you leveraging that? And what role do influencers play in your marketing strategy?
We started our digital journey quite late. But it was clear that when we start digital advertising, we will do it in a manner that over a period of time, we are omnipresent in that space. So, we focus a lot on content marketing, community-building, performance marketing, SEO, etc., to ensure that our website gets organic traffic.
We do invest in influencer marketing as well. But the influencers we collaborate with, in most cases, are either interior designers, architects or people well-versed with the category, because they are the ones who can actually do justice to our product. From walkthroughs of our experience centres, tours of our e-shop, to launching a new product or manufacturing plant, we have used influencers strategically, with clearly defined objectives.
Today, we have one of the largest social media communities, and are about 2x or 3x of our nearest competitor. That is the digital presence we have built.
Q] What does your current media mix look like, and how are your marketing spends allocated across different mediums?
We follow an integrated marketing approach. Traditionally, this industry has been BTL-led, so a lot of money used to be invested in trade marketing, and connecting with B2B customers. We took a different approach. Our marketing spends are divided across ATL, digital, BTL, CRM and PR. We spend a sizable amount on ATL and digital today, because we want to build this as a consumer brand. But overall, it is a healthy mix.
Q] What is Hettich India’s core marketing focus this year?
The focus is on elevating the overall brand through emotive storytelling, building more relevance and ensuring that we justify the value proposition that we stand for in the mind of the consumer. The focus will also be on building the complementary categories we have, such as architectural hardware, built-in appliances and furniture lights.
PROFILE
Jiteen Aggarwal currently serves as Chief Marketing Officer for Hettich India, SAARC, Middle East & Africa, where he plays a key role in driving the lifestyle imagery quotient for the brand and strengthening overall brand equity. He brings over two decades of marketing and communication experience across industries, including FMCG, telecom, automotive, semi-durables and advertising. Previously, he has worked with brands such as HUL, Idea, Mahindra and Nerolac Paints. His expertise spans launching, restaging brands and developing integrated brand communication.
ABOUT THE BRAND
Hettich is a 138-year-old family-owned German lifestyle brand. It is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of furniture fittings with a global turnover exceeding 1.5 billion Euros. In India, Hettich started operations 25 years ago, in 2001. Hettich’s product portfolio comprises furniture fittings, architectural hardware, Blaupunkt built-in appliances and furniture lights, providing magical interior solutions for residential and commercial spaces.
FACTS
Media Agency: Madison India and RiseIT
Creative Agency: Wondrlab
Digital Agency: Lyxel & Flamingo
PR Agency: RiseIT
