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Beko and Blomberg are about helping families enjoy more time together – our technology is a facilitator
Beko washing machine with 28-minute wash program
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‘Beko is about democratising technology’
Beko’s latest innovations include a washing machine with a 28-minute cycle, and a connected auto-dose dishwasher – said to be the first of its kind in Europe. Sean Hannam spoke to Beko UK marketing director Donald Shepherd to find out more
Q: Your most recent product launch was a washing machine that’s claimed to be one of the world’s fastest – it can wash up to 12kg, which is the equivalent of 60 shirts, in just 28 minutes. How has that been received? Donald Shepherd: We’re really pleased – we’ve had great feedback from retailers and customers and the uptake has been strong. The 28-minute message is stacking up because it’s tapping into that one basic consumer need in terms of laundry – they want fast programs.
It’s a really compelling offer. Our promise is about being helpful on an everyday basis – it’s resonating with retailers, it works for the consumer and it’s a real point of difference for both the Beko and Blomberg brands. It’s a USP that people can talk about and it will continue to be a focus for this year. Beko and Blomberg are about helping families enjoy more time together. You can spend less time doing the things you have to do – or don’t want to do – and more time doing the things you’d rather do.
Q: What’s Beko’s view on connected appliances? DS: If something goes wrong, con su-
mers want to know that they’ve got remote diagnostics, which will reduce the amount of time that the machine’s out [of action]. That’s where we see connectivity being a real help. This year, we’ll be launching some
Beko products, including an auto-dose dishwasher, which will be the first in Europe. It can wash up to 20 loads of dishes and it will have a connected app – people will be able to fill it up and it will tell you when you’re getting low on [liquid detergent] tablets. You’ll be able to reorder them via the app and there will be a price-match promise, so people will get great value. When you use fast programs on dishwashers, the tablets don’t have time to dissolve properly – you don’t get a proper wash – but as auto-dose uses liquid detergent, it delivers a better washing performance.
That will be a big step change for
the Beko brand and it will come out in the second half of this year. It’s about saving time and making things easy and relevant – it’s not just tech for tech’s sake. Beko is about democratising technology – it’s affordable.
Q: You launched into the SDA sector last year. How’s that gone? DS: It’s gone really well – we’ve leveraged the power of the Beko brand. We know that people who buy Beko are really happy with it – according to our Reevoo scores, 96 per cent of consumers will recommend Beko as a brand. We’re seeing really great results when we’ve extended into other categories, like freestanding microwaves, where we
have a design story. We’re also expanding our food-prep range, which will include blenders and choppers – we’re launching a ‘vacuum blender’ in the second quarter of this year. It’s a really innovative product and is a strong statement for the Beko brand – it’s all about saving quality nutrients when you’re blending. We’re making some good in-roads
with freestanding microwaves and food prep and we’re having a great time in fabric care with our step-up models of irons – the integrated pumps and steam generators have been doing really well. We’ll be extending that range.
Q: What’s the latest on Blomberg? DS: We’ve just refreshed the whole Blomberg range – built-in and free- standing – and it’s getting great feedback from retailers and consumers. This year we’ll be launching an affordable 71-litre pyrolytic single oven with touch controls.
Q: At IFA last year, you unveiled Beko’s Eat Like A Pro campaign with FC Barcelona, which aims to raise awareness of childhood obesity. What’s the latest on that? DS: That will be a key pillar for us this year. We launched it in the UK in January and there’s a 12-month period of activity, which will spike in April/May with the El Classico football match [Real Madrid versus FC Barcelona, Saturday May 5], but there will also be ongoing engagement. We’re working with Uni- cef and Barnardo’s and we want to get retailers involved – it’s got to be a collaborative approach.
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