Hindware readies Rs 100-crore-plus marketing blitz for ‘Sukoon’ era

New Delhi: Hindware has unveiled a new brand positioning, ‘Designed for Sukoon’, supported by a nationwide campaign created with MullenLowe Lintas Group. 

The initiative marks a shift in the company’s marketing playbook, moving beyond feature-led advertising to focus on homes as spaces of comfort and well-being. Backed by a marketing budget of over Rs 100 crore this year, Hindware is coupling the campaign with a sharper digital focus, premiumisation-led product strategy, and a recalibrated media mix.

Nirupam Sahay, CEO of Hindware, confirmed that this new positioning is backed by one of the company’s most significant ad spends to date.

“Our overall marketing spend this year will be Rs 100 crore plus, a significant step up. Approximately 55–60% of this will be allocated to digital, nearly double the amount from earlier campaigns, where it was 25–30%. That’s a deliberate move because our consumers are there. The people buying homes are now younger—typically in their mid-20s instead of their mid-30s. They’re not watching conventional TV; they want on-demand content. Digital is the most relevant way to reach them,” said Sahay.

This shift in media strategy reflects the changing profile of Hindware’s consumer base. The company has identified younger home buyers, tech-savvy and digitally native home buyers as its growth driver. As a result, Connected TV, OTT platforms, and social media are commanding bigger shares of the marketing pie. Yet, Sahay is not writing off traditional media.

“Print still plays a role in broadening awareness. Its advantage is that consumers can spend time on a static message. But consumption is clearly shifting towards connected TV and OTT. That’s becoming bigger every year,” he added.

On influencer marketing, Sahay clarified the brand’s selective approach. “We are also stepping up influencer marketing, but carefully. Influencers for us include architects, interior decorators, and fashion voices. The idea is not carpet bombing, but using credible people who can convincingly tell the Sukoon story,” he said.

While the media mix tilts digital, physical retail continues to anchor Hindware’s Tier 2 and Tier 3 strategy. “One key strategy for Tier 2 and Tier 3 penetration is retail presence. We have brand stores across all our businesses, bathware, tiles, and appliances. Consumers want to see, touch, and feel these products. When they walk into a brand store, conversions are much higher because they can see the full range in an ambience that helps decision-making,” Sahay shared.

Parallelly, the digital interface has been upgraded. “Along with the new campaign, we launched a new website, benchmarked against global standards. It’s intuitive, AI-enabled, helps you visualise products in 3D, and leads consumers to marketplaces or dealers. It’s about giving them the first brand experience digitally,” he added.

Experience Centres are another pillar of Hindware’s experiential play. Already operational in Delhi, with Hyderabad and Bangalore in the pipeline, these spaces allow consumers to interact with live products in real settings.

Premiumisation: The new growth engine

If digital is the medium, premiumisation is the market driver. Across categories and geographies, Hindware sees a clear consumer shift towards higher-value products.

“One big shift we see across all businesses is premiumisation. Whether it’s metros and Tier 1 towns or Tier 2 and Tier 3, there’s a distinct move towards premiumization. People want better products, and they’re willing to pay higher prices if there is differentiation. Since the market is moving towards premiumisation, a lot of our new introductions are in mass premium and premium. We’ve also sharpened the positioning of our brands. Hindware is our mass brand, Hindware Italian Collection is mass premium, and Queo is premium,” Sahay explained.

Products like smart toilets with sensors, thermostatic diverters, seat warmers, and IoT chimneys are no longer aspirational luxuries but practical investments for Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets.

“Digital media has exposed them to the same things, and their aspirations are the same. Earlier, 80–85% of what was sold in Tier 2 and Tier 3 would be mass. Today, that’s down to about 60–65%. In the next three to four years, I expect it to come down to 50–55%, almost a 50-50 split between mass and premium.”

Making ‘Sukoon’ a company DNA

The campaign showcases product innovations that bridge design and technology with everyday comfort: a Multifunction Shower with Thermostat that mimics monsoon rain, Smart WC with a seat “as comforting as a winter blanket,” splash-free faucets, vibrant washbasins, IoT Chimney with Maxx Silence Technology as a quiet partner in moments of love, and premium tiles that unite beauty with durability.

Sahay framed the campaign as more than advertising. “It’s not just an advertising campaign, it’s a promise that we make to consumers. Whether it’s our website, customer service, retail, or product design, every interaction should give sukoon. It’s bigger than just brand positioning, it’s about the DNA of the company,” he said.

Ram Cobain, CCO, Mullen Lintas, who led the creative development, echoed the thought. “Technology can often feel cold. But done right, it can be warm and human. ‘Sukoon’ is an onomatopoeic word—it sounds like what it describes. This transcendental feeling of knowing that all is right with the world is our creative soul. More than a campaign, ‘Sukoon’ is a design philosophy present across every Hindware product and experience,” Cobain added.