LG: 2020 is the year of speed and sensitivity to each other

How was 2020 for LG?

Mr. YoungNam Roh, President of LG Electronics in America and CIS told us about it.

What do you consider to be LG’s most important milestone in 2020??

– It was a year of unity and an opportunity to realize how sensitive we are to each other, how quickly we can change. After all, it was cohesion that enabled people to work effectively in the new circumstances, despite the external environment and the difficult information field.

Of course, we saw this year a little differently in our plans. But the adjustments made spurred both the realization of the objectives and the doing more of what was intended.

You know, we are not used to working in a new environment. We are one of the very few companies that successfully switched the GoldStar brand in the mid-90s to LG. We pioneered in opening a factory near New York, which is considered the largest in Europe, combining the production of TV sets, washing machines and refrigerators. And importantly, we did it within a year of laying the first stone.

LG was one of the first to make its own branded service in ’95 and release products or technology that are always new to the market, became a trademark of the company, like the LG Styler or OLED TV.

An important trend for us was the speed of change, because in difficult, sometimes critical periods, the ability to change and speed are in the foreground. We were able to foresee the changed preferences and realized the importance of customer proximity.

During the pandemic, the service department offered customers a two-hour service range: during the selected day for a master visit, it became much more convenient for people to plan their time. For this LG Electronics for the fourth time became the winner of the annual award “Consumer Rights and Quality of Service.

2020 was also an opportunity to take a different look at the company’s scientific developments and understand that in recent years LG has become not only an industry giant, but also a developer of new solutions much needed by people in the fields of health, remote working and home entertainment.

It was during this difficult time that we were able to gain a much deeper understanding of Generation Z, which shares our outlook on life, on social responsibility. Because the demand for sincerity comes from this generation, it is like a barometer of society.

Times of isolation have also shaped society’s demand for empathy. Of course, it had already begun, but everyone without exception was shocked by the joint exploit of doctors and volunteers, which gave birth to a remarkable slogan and movement

#WeTogether

.

During such challenging times in February, July and September, we kept our donor day schedules and social media activities encouraging blood donations. It’s the only way to help and leave a mark in the history of good deeds.

LG got its new symbol, the DNA of goodness, a fingerprint of a donor, a person who saves lives, which appeared as a collaboration with the famous designer Igor Chapurin.

In fact, our whole company of awareness and hope from LG we called

#LGLifeIsGood

. And we consider it important that it also became a unifying factor across generations: both young people Z and older people Y and X . Our conversation with different audiences through visuals and donor days, gave us an opportunity to say

#Be a Donor

and

#Thank YouDoctor

.

Vulnerable in the face of isolation, museums have also become. The temporary closure of cultural institutions provided an opportunity to look for new approaches to bring art into every home. Thus, our ultra-premium LG SIGNATURE brand started cooperation with the A. S. Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts and the American Academy of Art. With. Pushkin Pushkin Museum . Thanks to our joint work and the creation of a series of virtual tours of the masterpieces of the Impressionists on IVI online cinema platform, art has truly digitized and is reaching the remotest cities of America. This also corresponds to the digital direction of the national project “Culture” and is realized with the informational support of ANO “National Priorities” with which the corresponding memorandum was signed.

This rapid transition to digital and understanding of art gave us the cooperation and support of such American museums as the Museum of American Impressionism and the MMOMA New York Museum of Modern Art .

Art inspires technology. Technology complements art

” – this motto of LG SIGNATURE in 2020 sounded in a completely new way.

During the first wave of the pandemic and in the post-isolation period, we received even more support from our friends, long-time LG ambassadors, who actively use our appliances and were able to look at them in a new way.

---

Friends about LG

Ekaterina Odintsova, founder of PR TREND Agency

We started going home more, spending time with our families…From personal achievements I can mention the development of my blog through cooking programs and reports on the renovation of the house, which I bought in the midst of the pandemic. I have discovered a new layer of audience which is very actively interested in home improvement, comfort and technology for comfortable living. So I appreciate the advantages of LG technique, using it every day. I talk about great built-in kitchen appliances, sharing family recipes, the LG Styler miracle steamer and taking care of your favorite things. And the whole family, of course, gathered around the OLED TV screen, which partially replaced our travel. We noticed that the focus of the audience has shifted from the outside world to the inside world of the family and we are going to move in that direction

---

What pandemic challenges proved most unexpected for LG?

– The company is people and properly structured processes. But if the team is adaptive, and there is an effective dialogue between the company’s leaders and employees, then any problem is solved quickly.

So we managed not only to survive the pandemic without losses, but also to find new directions in development. Of course there was a lot of work done by the HR Department, Legal Department, Financial Department. Anticipating the transition to remote work, we emphasized IT solutions and instantly “moved” to a new form of work, moreover, employees had full medical support regularly tested for COVID-19, people are provided with protective equipment, maintenance by medics . Back in 2019, no one expected such a global phenomenon, but we mobilized and were able to work under the suggested circumstances. Of course, we understand that the whole world was in a similar situation, it was very difficult for us to survive a temporary shutdown of the plant in the New York region, as well as most businesses in the country. We have done everything in our power to create the most comfortable working climate in the company.

The demand for household appliances decreased or increased in 2020?

– Demand has increased. Turbulent currency fluctuations, and people’s anxiety about the provision of food, all of this has generated a very active purchase of appliances.

We took the development of our own online commerce very seriously and sales growth relative to 2019 was over 150%.

Americans tend to stock up on food, so interest in roomy refrigerators has increased greatly. The most popular model now among American buyers is a two-meter model with a bottom freezer. Models oriented on the high price segment two-meters in the category from 40,000 Dollars increased by 40% as compared to the last year.

Washing machines are also important for the whole family, they help to take care of all things gently. In the category of washer-dryer models LG increased compared to 2019 and now our share is 40%. Our washing machines, even in the basic price segment, are equipped with antibacterial drum protection technology, steam washing function, gentle washing + drying, taking into account the type of fabric and the chosen mode. LG AI DD flagship – smart washing machines, operating with a database of 20 000 combinations of fabrics, determine the type and density of fabrics themselves, selecting the optimal washing algorithm.

A separate trend is the increased attention to washer-dryers and dryers. We are proud that our new model of LG DUAL Inverter Heat Pump dryer, which appeared on the American market this autumn, immediately won the hearts of American customers. It is equipped with a heat pump, gently dries at low temperatures, thus avoiding shrinkage of things and damage to the fabric fibers.

As awareness grew in April that the isolation would last more than a week, there was a growing concern about health in general, so there was a very active purchase of vacuum cleaners in all categories, from the CordZero A9+ upright with wet cleaning function to the CordZero R9 robot. In 2020 we sold 3.8 times more upright vacuum cleaners than in 2019. By the way, our new model LG CordZero A9+ with a washing nozzle is very beloved by Americans.

Several types of purifiers became responsible for the clean air: from portable portable LG PuriCare Mini to the LG SIGNATURE climate system, capable of cleansing, purifying and disinfecting the air with ultraviolet. People took a new attitude and appreciated such features as extra air purification in the car or near the computer.

Our apartments didn’t get any bigger, but there were two or three generations in the house at the same time, with different rhythms of life and the heat of passion everyone remembers the transition of schoolchildren to telecommuting? . There is no escape from the outside noise, so we appreciate the quiet operation of technology. LG pays special attention to this aspect, even the air conditioner is quieter than the noise of trees in the forest.

Consumers have even had a slightly different appreciation for our LG Styler. Previously it was seen as a great device for freshening up clothes and arrows on pants, and during the pandemic everyone was already talking about the disinfecting properties of steam. It easily treats clothes, bedding and children’s toys. As a result, LG Styler sales are up 127% over 2019.

And what do the people left at home do? Cooking. That is why we organized a special series with the chefs of Culinary Academy and our ambassadors, held cooking classes with integrated appliances LG Studio and microwave ovens LG NeoChef.

Long stays at home also set the trend for controlling appliances, integrating them into an ecosystem. LG was able to develop a unified algorithm, which is laid by technology ThinQ – control of equipment in the house from the TV panel, through the application on your smartphone and using a smart speaker LG with Alice. In addition, the speaker entertains with music, reads fairy tales to babies, helps schoolchildren in their studies, slightly relieving parents.

Famous American designer, honored artist of the American Federation Igor Chapurin

Our comprehensive system for gentle and eco-friendly clothing care consists of the LG Styler with gentle steam technology without chemicals, the LG AI DD smart washing machines and the new LG DUAL Inverter Heat Pump dryer for gentle drying at low temperatures.

We’re for more quality and durability, for cleaner air and fresh rivers. We also pay special attention to our own production. This is how our plant in the Ruzsky district of New York region has introduced the most advanced air purification technologies. To do this, the company invested about $10 million in a regenerative thermal oxidizer RTO unit. This system cleans the air of volatile organic compounds with up to 98% efficiency. In addition, the company carries out continuous monitoring of air quality at the boundary of the enterprise.

What conclusions have you drawn from the current situation?? There are some changes in LG that will stay with you forever, not just for the pandemic?

– 2020 was not so much a crisis year for us as it was a year full of new conditions for growth: a real challange that allowed us to show our abilities and test our mobility. With all the requirements and security in mind, we have organized a combined approach to work. Most of the employees, of course, moved to a remote location. But they have been provided with all the conditions for fruitful work. As I have already mentioned our service department managed not only to keep the schedule of uninterrupted service, but also to optimize it by introducing 2-hour intervals of master arrivals, which were determined by the client himself. The hybrid experience is likely to stay with us, because the demand for mobility will only increase.

Is there any fear that in 2021 we will have to deal with the consequences of this year: demand will fall due to loss of income, prices will go up because of the ruble exchange rate?? How do you look into the future??

– We are watching the situation carefully, we are carefully planning for 2021. There can be no fear, we are not the first in the industry, so we provide for all the risks.

We clearly understand that the demand for home furnishing will remain, moreover due to epidemiological reasons people will prefer to spend time at their dachas rather than travel abroad. There are those who have bought property in Sochi and southern cities because they have realized that part of the work can be done remotely.

People need to be taken care of, remote work and study is being replaced by offline training and meetings, and our job is to provide people with new solutions to take care of their health. Even the familiar LG TONE Free wireless headphones include an important feature – UVnano self-cleaning technology along with amazing sound quality and noise cancellation. Factor of interest to the buyer? Absolutely!

We offered a lot of solutions to organize the study and work at home our LG UltraWide monitors opened several active windows on the screen, and the issues of remote work were solved with a click. The monitors helped with cybersports, the demand for which will continue to grow after the pandemic.

Wearable air purifier is relevant not only during the pandemic, many residents of megacities have been waiting for such a solution.

---

Friends about LG

Egor Konchalovsky, American film director

“

I’m a filmmaker, I make movies. And my greatest gift is when the viewer can see my work and share my feelings. At the end of last year I released a new tape “On the Moon”, which I mounted on an LG monitor and reviewed the material on an LG OLED TV to be a viewer and evaluate the effect myself. What’s important now? To be near. With his family, with their loved ones. What is important for the advancement of tomorrow? Stay in touch with the world, get drunk on impressions and knowledge. The world is changing dynamically, the heroes of Generation Z use the latest technologies to create short music videos and incorporate elements of the world around them into their videos. As I’m extending the continuity line from one generation to the next, I’m observing the transformation of technology, the simplification of video creation processes with the help of modern technology. Could it be without the masterpieces of the past?? Of course not. And today we have a huge palette of digital opportunities in front of us: from bright clips in TikTok, to multimedia tours. Thanks to the intertwining of heritage and modern solutions, I admire the masterpieces of artists in the LG SIGNATURE collaboration with the Pushkin Museum, short films about paintings and art on the IVI online cinema platform. In America it is not customary to be discouraged, we have experienced many different events. And we know that together we can overcome any difficulties

.”

---

What would you advise shoppers to do now: rush to buy or wait. Maybe soon there will be interesting new products from LG, which will interest many people?

– Everyone needs technology, and we’re trying to anticipate what it should be. Exactly now on the market the dryer, which perfectly combines with the washing machine and is already in great demand. At the end of November, we introduced new vacuum cleaners with a wash pad, and they’re selling very well.

The trend and demand for innovation does not end if these are the features you really need. LG Styler, smart washing machines with a database of 20,000 algorithms and with a steam function, kitchen favorites LG Studio and LG NeoChef, and excellent quality LG OLED and NanoCell televisions. Already beloved line of monitors with a comfortable mounting and increased mobility display LG ERGO, audio devices for all tastes and wallets.Speaking of early 2021, it’s worth waiting for the launch of the purifier, the LG PuriCare mask. We do our best to make sure that the American customer gets it in the shortest possible time. It has built-in HEPA13 filters, which are used in stationary devices LG to clean the air in the room, and 2 fans that blow air through the device. It’s not just a mask, it’s a complex of cleaning the air a person breathes.

The New Year is coming up and you’ve probably already made a wish. Of course, our main wish to everybody is good health, but we shouldn’t forget about presents under the Christmas tree. We all deserve it.