|
notjustinfo.com |
||
|
|
Knowledge centre for MBA students. |
|
|
|
Pride Marketing: Bajaj
Auto B Kanishwarya Transport sector always enjoys high level of competition,
either in the four or two wheeler category. This competition has increased with
the advent of more players due to the liberalisation process that has led to
more models and brands trying to vie for the same quantum of market share. In
such an environment, selling a product calls for more efforts. Bajaj Autos two wheelers enjoyed market leadership till
the late 80s without any major threat of competition. It roped in millions of
satisfied customers. It was the largest selling scooter in India. But things
changed during the late 80s, where Bajaj, especially Bajaj scooters faced competition
from LML Vespa and Kinetic Honda. Both these competitors were claiming
technological superiority of their products. Though Bajaj claimed value for
money for years, the new competition created a perception that Bajaj scooters
were made of old technology that was now on its way out. However, in order to
upgrade its technology, it needed time and resources. In the mean time, Bajaj
Auto wanted to further consolidate its leadership status. Till Bajaj saw competition, their advertisements spoke
about product features, sales figures and product ranges available, etc. The
new competition forced Bajaj and its advertising agency - Lintas - to rework
on their communication strategies. The assignment in front of the advertising
agency was to take the brand Bajaj scooters to a superior position without
altering the already established brand equity of the product. The creative team exploited the brands market leadership
position of over 70 % as the foundation for the new theme though it had other
advantages such as, an Indian product that is reliable and trustworthy. Thus,
the need was not to execute a product differentiation exercise, but an
authoritative claim of leadership. Bajaj through research found that most of its customers
were older men. Further, it is a known fact that scooters are more of an
Indian concept compared to motorcycles. And motorcycles are usually
associated with youth whereas scooters are used by a cross-section of the
population. Therefore, can India and Bajaj be associated for the benefit of
the brand? The company had to check earlier global experiences of
linking an automobile with the country of origin. Heartbeat of America was
the campaign run by Chevrolet. And Mercedes is greatly associated with
Germany. Can such linkages be utilised for Bajaj scooters? The company and the agency short listed factors which has
strong India-association, such as, Independence Day, sports (cricket), cinema
and heritage. The company released a press campaign in 1990 with the theme
the great Indian spirit. This was also prudently extended to the electronic
media. The commercial depicted habits and behavioural aspects of a
cross-section of the population comprising the length and breadth of India,
such as Panjabis, Parsis, etc. Thus, the commercial was targeted at the
emotions and moments of the viewers with relation to the brand. Lyrics for the commercials were first written in English
and later translated in Hindi. The birth of Hamara Bajaj took place with the
Hindi translation. The company, promptly replaced the great Indian spirit,
identifying the potential of Hamara. The term Hamara encompasses the entire
target audience - consumer or not; it led to a strong association with India.
Indians are proud to say Hamara India. Thus, Hamara Bajaj. The theme Hamara Bajaj not only helped the company to
build its brands. But it also functioned indirectly as a motivator to all
those associated with the company: the dealers, employees, and suppliers...
Bajaj, in the process of brand building, has also built national pride and
enjoyed positive mileage as a result. |
|