The promotion, launched on October 10, 1999, will run till November 15, 1999. Branded as the `Kelvinator Khul ja Sim-Sim' offer, the promotion offers 5 lakh prizes, besides `genuine discounts and guaranteed free gifts.' The discounts on various refrigerator models vary from Rs 1,439 to Rs 5,000; gifts include mixer grinders, irons and Prestige non-stick cookware; and a scratch card scheme promises `assured free gifts' ranging from a set of 4 audio cassettes to a Mercedes Benz, Matiz, Hero Honda mobike, CTV etc.

The company describes the Kelvinator promotion as a celebratory one - a celebration of the festive season plus of the fact that the ``brand has been doing so well.'' Says Anand Bhardwaj, vice president, marketing & marketing services, Electrolux Kelvinator Ltd,``We are not traditionally a promotion-oriented company. This year, however, we decided to go in for a mega promotion to celebrate the last year of the millennium and the fact that the brand has been doing so well.''

He adds, ``As per ORG figures for July-August 1999, Kelvinator's market share in the direct cool segment has gone up to 23.6 per cent as against Whirlpool's 21 per cent, making us number 2. However, cumulative figures for January - August 1999 still place Kelvinator at number 3, with a 21 per cent market share, as against Whirlpool's 25 per cent.'' The company is targeting number 2 position in the direct cool segment by December-end. Of the total 17.9 lakh units' refrigerator market, the direct cool segment accounts for 15.3 lakh units.

The mega promo is in keeping with the brand's strategy to shed its conservative image and go in for focussed advertising. With an annual advertising budget of Rs 16 crore for CY 1999, the brand has done some fairly aggressive advertising this year - a series of four highly visible TV commercials, besides focussing on outdoors and local advertising..Says Bhardwaj, this has paid rich dividends in terms of boosting brand salience and pushing up sales.

Running concurrently with the Kelvinator scheme is a promotion on a much smaller scale for another Electrolux brand, Allwyn. Called the `Seetee bajaao saalon saal' offer, it offers a free 5 litre Prestige pressure cooker with every purchase of an Allwyn fridge, besides a discount of upto Rs 1,722.Discounts in both the promotions would vary from state to state depending on the local sales tax and other govt levies. The press ads for both promotions have just broken and the TV commercials are due to be aired over the weekend across multiple channels like DD, Zee and Sony.

The US-based home appliances major AB Electrolux owns the Kelvinator, Voltas and Allwyn brands in India, with majority stake in Electrolux Kelvinator Ltd and Electrolux Voltas Ltd.