Acer India MD
Harish Kohli has turned the company into a strong player and a decision maker at the global level. Under his leadership, it became one of the top ten units in the world. In an exclusive interview with BW, he talks about the company’s close knit top management, its loyalty to the brand and a common focus on understanding the core market.
Edited excerpts:
How has Acer managed the balance between the brand that it is and incorporating new innovations? I believe the biggest problem with the IT industry is that the market is very static. Addressing the market size is a challenge. At Acer, we believe in growth at both internal and external levels. At the internal level, we work on aligning Acer in a way that we reach out to the customer base of our competition and eat into their spaces. At the external level, we always bring forward new innovations from across the world to India.
What is the marketing strategy that you follow at Acer India? Over the years, marketing has evolved and we have evolved with the market. Now our main focus for marketing is on digital. We mainly promote Acer on digital media. We always have one-on-one accounts of customers reviewing the products and talking about it on social media. We promote write ups on our products on every platform. Acer is a touch and feel product; the more experiential the marketing, the better are the results.
Will Acer Swift 7 be able to fend off competition? What is its USP?The market for slim and sleek laptops is wide, which is a benefit, and a reason to invest in similar products. Our biggest competition Apple, does not have a 100 per cent market share in this space, which again turns the odds in our favour. The USP of Swift 7 is that it is the lightest and slimmest product with a battery life of 11-12 hours, and it is available at a reasonable price.
Tell us about Acer’s expansion plans in India?Acer is a company with many verticals. We aim to understand our customer at a deeper level. As for our expansion plan in 2017, we have now started to manufacture Acer products in India and export to Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia. We are now looking forward to develop the base here and export as much as we can from India.
What role does Acer India play at a global level with respect to Acer Inc.?Acer India has a place of high importance with respect to Acer Inc. India being one of the largest markets, Acer India has a key role in decision making at global fronts. Our big expansion started in the fourth quarter last year. Acer India is now venturing into high-power computing (HPC) with the support from the government of India.
