Gurugram: In a candid and thought-provoking conversation at the MMA Global Impact event, Virat Khullar, Head of Marketing at Hyundai India, sat down with Greg Stuart, CEO of MMA Global, to dissect the evolving landscape of automotive marketing. The session, titled “Driving Growth: How Auto Brands Are Shifting Marketing Gears,” explored seismic shifts in consumer behaviour, the impact of generative AI, and the nuanced role of influencers in high-involvement purchases.
The Unseen Influencers: How Families Drive Auto Decisions
One of the most compelling insights from Khullar’s remarks centered on a deeply personal and widely relatable observation: the under-acknowledged role of family—especially children—in influencing car purchases. “If you’d asked me in a focus group, I don’t think I would have said that my daughter made the decision,” Khullar admitted, recounting a moment of realisation about who truly swayed a significant buying choice in his own household.
This anecdote, while anecdotal, echoes a broader shift in the marketing discourse—one that moves away from transactional demographics to the softer, sometimes hidden, drivers of consumer decision-making. “When there is a fire, everyone sees it. But it’s the spark that must be identified,” Khullar said, underscoring the imperative for marketers to look beyond the obvious data points to unearth early indicators of influence.
Women’s Growing Role: Ownership Versus Usage
Khullar also spotlighted a critical gap in auto industry data: while female ownership of vehicles in India remains statistically low (8-10%), real-world insights suggest a growing trend of women driving or using vehicles registered in the names of male family members. “Because of tax or other reasons, the car may be in the husband’s name, but is being used predominantly by the wife,” Khullar explained.
In response to this insight, Hyundai India strategically signed three female brand ambassadors—an example of how nuanced consumer understanding can translate into purposeful branding decisions. “We realised the influence wasn’t incidental. It was driving the purchase.”
Why Influencers Aren’t Driving the Conversation in Auto
In an age where influencer marketing is a dominant force across sectors like beauty and personal care, Hyundai India’s restrained approach stood out. “We are not doing much with creators and influencers,” Khullar said, contrasting sharply with industries that have seen robust returns on influencer investments.
Khullar argued that influencer strategies have not yet proven effective in high-involvement categories like automobiles. “We’ve yet to see a matrix that delivers measurable performance from influencer marketing in our space,” he stated, adding that Hyundai continues to rely on traditional brand ambassadors who offer more credibility and alignment with the brand’s positioning.
Stuart added a humorous perspective from another CMO, who described influencer marketing as “authentic advertising”—implying, perhaps jokingly, that the rest of advertising might be seen as “inauthentic.” Khullar, however, remained pragmatic: “For us, it’s about what delivers value, not just what’s trendy.”
AI Moves From Pilot to Production
While AI often gets chalked up as a buzzword, Khullar was clear: it’s far more than that. “It’s changing the way we do creatives, testing, and personalisation—at scale,” he said.
Unlike companies that are letting “chaos reign” with open experimentation, Hyundai India has rolled out a more structured approach, encouraging cross-functional pilots across CX, digital, and brand teams. “We have to be very careful—hallucinations, project decay, and misinformation in generative AI are real concerns,” Khullar cautioned.
That said, one application has already made it from pilot to production: AI-assisted localised targeting. “We’re now able to more efficiently identify and reach similar audiences, and it’s already delivering results,” he confirmed. Stuart echoed this, noting similar gains in MMA’s own work on local digital campaigns that drive actual dealership footfall.
Will Machines Replace Marketers? Not Quite Yet.
To close the conversation, Stuart posed a provocative thesis: “It is inevitable that all advertising will be created and placed by machines.” Khullar, a mechanical engineer by training, offered a balanced rebuttal. “Even if machines are creating, the human element is essential. Otherwise, we’re just selling to robots.”
While both leaders acknowledged the role of machines in speeding up and scaling marketing, they were unified in their belief that empathy, context, and creative intuition remain uniquely human strengths—irreplaceable for now.
A Shift in Gears and Mindsets
From redefining target audiences through family dynamics and gendered insights to making AI work in measurable, business-critical ways, Hyundai India’s marketing strategy reflects an increasingly sophisticated and human-centric approach.
Khullar’s reflections are emblematic of a broader shift: marketing is no longer just about campaigns and media spends—it’s about understanding influence, interpreting nuance, and integrating technology without losing sight of the consumer’s humanity.
As Stuart aptly concluded, “We’re building. And it’s clear that Hyundai India is building smarter—and with intent.”
