Philips has launched a new brand campaign that treats the airfryer category as already won. Titled Airfryer Matlab Philips, the campaign features actor and entrepreneur Sushmita Sen as brand ambassador and is built on a simple proposition: when Indian consumers think of an airfryer, Philips should be the reflex answer.
The campaign was conceptualised and executed by WillBe Done, Philips’ creative and strategic partner on the initiative. It is running across television, digital, social media and retail, with further activations planned as the festive season approaches.
From category creation to category lock-in
Philips says it introduced the airfryer category to India more than a decade ago, and the campaign draws on that product heritage. The brand continues to highlight its patented starfish design, which uses hot air circulation to cook food from multiple sides, and has invested in consumer education, product innovation and category development for Indian cooking.
Gulbahar Taurani, MD and CEO of Versuni India, framed the campaign as a recognition of consumer trust. He said the brand has spent more than a decade building the category and earning trust, and that ‘Airfryer Matlab Philips is a celebration of the love consumers have given us.’ He also signalled that the ambition is bigger than the current category: to take airfrying to every Indian home and make Philips synonymous with the future of everyday cooking.
The film uses everyday decision-making moments as a narrative device. For most purchases, consumers pause and weigh options; for an airfryer, the campaign presents Philips as the immediate answer. The creative bet is that category leadership can be compressed into a single, memorable mental shortcut.
Why the campaign matters
This is a classic mental availability play. When a brand becomes the default answer to a category question, it lowers the effort of choice and increases the chance of being bought or recommended. Philips is not selling a single feature here; it is selling the shortcut itself.
Sushmita Sen adds personal-use credibility. She said she already owns a Philips Airfryer and has been using it, which makes the association feel more natural than a typical celebrity endorsement. The brand is also retaining chef Ranveer Brar, who continues as an ambassador for Philips Kitchen Appliances and will focus on recipes, techniques and Indian cooking possibilities.
That two-ambassador structure gives the campaign a useful split: Sen brings mass reach and lifestyle appeal, while Brar brings culinary authority and practical usage content.
What marketers can take away
- Own the category word: Create advertising that answers the category question, not just the product comparison.
- Use credible personal use: Ambassadors who genuinely use the product can make a claim feel more authentic.
- Pair reach with authority: Combine a celebrity face with an expert voice to cover both awareness and application.
- Time for the shopping cycle: Use the festive season to convert mental availability into retail action.
Bottom line
After a decade of building the airfryer category in India, Philips is now asking consumers to complete the sentence. The campaign is less about explaining what an airfryer does and more about making Philips the name that comes to mind first. For marketing professionals, it is a clean case study in converting early category education into long-term brand equity.
Source: MediaNews4U
