AkzoNobel India MD Rajiv Rajgopal talks about the brand’s innovations for the season One of the key drivers for the paint industry in India is the festive season. This is when people traditionally tend to refurbish their homes. Also, it coincides with the beginning of the winter wedding season in the country, which also leads to higher purchases within the category. This year too, the industry is witnessing huge demands from the consumers and AkzoNobel India has come up with exciting offers and products to tap right into the positive sentiment. AkzoNobel India MD Rajiv Rajgopal told Exchange4media.com, “While decorative paints purchase happens throughout the year, the festive season traditionally is a key growth driver for the paints industry. The demand buoyancy during festivals followed by the marriage season typically contributes around 25% to 30% to industry sales. As a marketer, while we strive to continuously interact with our consumers, festival allocations are typically higher given the surge in demand.”   Speaking about his expectations with the festive season this year, Rajgopal highlighted that the period has started on an encouraging note for the industry and the company. “For most Indian families who have increasingly spent more time at home, consumption has increased in the home improvement category including paint. Acting as a further tailwind to this is the pent-up demand returning to the market, especially now considering the increasing vaccination and consequential decline in COVID-19 active cases. At the same time, the almost normal monsoon, record Kharif harvest, and increase in MSP have further driven disposal income and positivity in the hinterlands.”   He added that festive paint demand is spread across categories from interior and exterior paints, ranging from premium to economy spectrum, to protective solutions for wood and waterproofing. Therefore, the brand has worked extensively to deliver truly differentiated propositions that are innovative and designed to improve consumers’ quality of life. “As pioneering experts in the paint industry committed to delivering on the high expectations of Indian consumers, AkzoNobel is bringing colour to festivities. For the consumer, a brand’s quality promise is now more relevant than ever before. Our Dulux AssuranceTM Program - the first-of-its-kind initiative in the industry assures Dulux consumers of Perfect Colour, Uniform Finish, and Coverage. An extensive 360-degree campaign is bringing alive this ‘Expert ka Promise’.” Talking about further product innovations, he noted, “our product launches, timed for availability during the festival season, are creating new excitement in the market. For example, our recent offering ‘Dulux Better Living Air Clean BioBased’ - India’s 1st Bio-Based paint (certified by USDA) with 26% bio-based sustainable content, actively neutralizes indoor air pollution and offers health and wellness benefits for consumers. This launch is being communicated across regions via outdoor and digital campaigns. Similarly, Dulux SuperClean & Dulux Promise value-proposition has been upgraded with Antiviral and Anti-bacterial properties.”