In an exclusive interaction with Sourcing Hardware, executive director & CEO of H&R Johnson Joydeep Mukherjee outlines efforts the company is making to connect with a younger generation of homeowners.

Connecting with the young and restless…
We are today in the process of reinventing our brand and want to be seen as young and vibrant, as a company which has led innovations and will continue to do so. Several innovative products are being introduced in tiles, bathrooms and kitchens in order to offer differentiated product and drive growth. Our efforts on strengthening our brand through a healthy mix of ATL, BTL and digital initiatives would continue with higher vigour this year. While we have engaged with consumers on the digital platform, going forward we want to up the ante. While exploring alternative platforms to connect with our consumers we recently associated through our flagship brand Johnson Tiles with the Gujarat Lions IPL cricket team as associate sponsors for IPL season 9. Cricket as a sport transcends geography, age and gender in India. With Gujarat being amongst the most progressive states in the country and an important hub for the tile industry, we are delighted to partner with Gujarat Lions for Johnson Tiles.

Heartthrob endorsement…
In the tile, bathroom, kitchen and marble & quartz category, H&R Johnson was the first company to engage with an A+ category brand celebrity, Katrina Kaif, a step that has been replicated by many of our competitors. We realised in 2013 that there is a limitation to the type of price premium you can get in a commoditised category, and that you need to break the clutter with a differentiated communication approach. Johnson is a trustworthy brand, a leader in the tile category which is international, contemporary, relevant, modern and young. Katrina also represents these same values, and we felt that this association will help reinforce this and also appeal to a larger cross section of India which is young and with disposable incomes.

A digital avatar…
H&R Johnson has always taken the lead in not only innovative product offerings but also marketing initiatives, to reach out to a growing customer base. Our engagement with consumers on the digital platform has shown an increased demand for product experience. Keeping this in mind we have developed a unique augmented reality application that is available for Android tablets. The Johnson augmented reality app helps users to visualise how their walls and tiles would look with their selection of tiles from the Johnson range in a real environment, which in turn helps to minimise time in decision making. Simultaneously we have also made available numerous touch screens at select House of Johnson stores, along with launching a state-of-the-art website specifically for tiles.

Influencing the influencers…
We have launched Johnson Aspire to connect with the designer community. Using the www.johnsonaspire.com  platform, designers can share and track leads, and achieve newer professional milestones. Through this platform we are enabling them to visualise their designs; download design tools, technical specifications and quality certificates; and earn and redeem points.