Continuing its association for the fourth consecutive year with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Tata Motors, India’s leading automotive brand, today announced that its iconic flagship SUV, the all-new Tata Safari will be the Official Partner for VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. As the tournament returns to India this year, the Company is looking forward to leveraging this prestigious platform to showcase and drive engagement for its recently launched iconic brand – new Tata Safari.
Vivek Srivatsa, Head – Marketing, Passenger Vehicles Business Unit (PVBU) for Tata Motors in an exclusive chat talks about the new launch, initiatives taken during the pandemic, increased demand for personal vehicles, and much more…
2020 how did Tata Motors tackle the pandemic?
As marketers, we need to be always prepared for the changing times. Hence, when the pandemic struck, we immediately prepared our communication to suit the requirements of the then scenario. To accommodate to the consumer needs during the pandemic along with the mandatory lockdown, our focus then was on keeping our consumers engaged rather than simply selling our vehicles. We introduced a variety of initiatives that would ensure that our customers were attended to despite the lack of sales until the unlock phase began.
We redirected and recalibrated our social media approach to lift customer morale by communicating that better times were ahead for all of us. Reiterating the same, we launched a campaign #AloneTogether that talked about maintaining social distancing today for stronger connections tomorrow. At the same time, we kept in touch with our customers on Social Media and via Email/SMS to educate them on #SafetyFirst care tips to keep their Tata cars safe during the lockdown.
As part of our #SafetyFirst campaign, taking a cue from the then increasing interest towards online games, we also launched the #SafetyFirstLudo, which spread the message of maintaining social distancing and hygiene. Additionally, we also kept our customers engaged with other trending online games like Guess the Gibberish via our social media platforms.
With this and more, all our digital assets promoted safety tips to encourage our audiences to abide by the Safety First approach as well.
The IPL and Tata Motors partnership was for 3 years are you planning to continue with the partnership?
We are delighted to be continuing our association with the Indian Premier League for the fourth consecutive year through the medium of our newly launched flagship SUV – the iconic Tata Safari.
How was the IPL experience last year?
Although the general buzz around sporting events witnessed a sharp decline due to the prohibition of audience attendance on-ground, we managed to retain the enthusiasm for the game through our fruitful association with the Indian Premier League (IPL) by way of our then recently launched premium hatchback, the Tata Altroz. Furthermore, the IPL 2020 clocked in record viewership numbers across the globe. Although the tournament was followed by the Indian audiences on-air and was held in the UAE, we did our bit to re-generate the spirit associated with following the IPL matches through the introduction of mobile games that kept our viewers engaged. We also had some on-ground decorations at dealerships and showrooms, to bring the ambiance & the buzz of the tournament across the country while taking required precautions for the health and safety of all at these locations.
How has 2021 opened for Tata Motors?/ Automobile sector is seeing a revival after being in the dumps for nearly 2 Yrs., what are your thoughts?/ Last year this time you had launched about 5 new cars what has been the response?
Post the nationwide lockdown; we have witnessed increased demand for personal mobility driven due to the need to maintain social distancing. The PV industry witnessed strong growth in Q4FY21 on a low base with robust demand for personal mobility and new launches driving demand. Tata Motors PV Business posted its highest ever sales in 9 years, in March 21 and Q4 FY21. In FY21, the business registered its highest-ever annual sales in 8 years, while posting a growth of 69% versus FY20. Furthermore, the company ended the fiscal with a market share of 8.2% for FY21 and 9.3% for March 2021. All of this can be attributed to the launch of the company’s “New Forever” product range, including the new Tata Safari, which continues to witness strong acceptance from across regions in the market.
There is a slew of new releases by Tata Motors, also re-launching the Safari (A beautiful film) the strategy behind these launches?
As part of our New Forever philosophy, our goal as a brand is to constantly provide our customers with the latest products that cater to their evolving needs but are also timeless at the same time. In alignment with the same, we not only launched our BS6 passenger vehicle range last year in January but also made a significant entry into the premium hatchback segment with the Altroz. We recently brought back our iconic Tata Safari in its new and modern 2021 avatar, which has been loved by all. As the flagship SUV from Tata Motors, Safari has evolved to satisfy the new age SUV customers and promises to set benchmarks for SUVs in India. It will further take the legacy of Safari forward by building on its pedigree – dominating SUV stance, spacious, comfortable & plush interiors, spirited performance and robust built.
Furthermore, we are constantly upgrading our existing products with new technology as we launched additional variants for our cars such as the Nexon XM(S), the Harrier CAMO edition, the Harrier XT+ the Altroz XM+ and the limited edition Tiago along with its newly launched XTA variant.
By introducing the above products, we have shortened our product update cycle, thereby constantly releasing brand new products and refreshed variants of our existing vehicles. This allows us to keep our portfolio forever new. As a result, the sales of these products are now contributing to overall passenger vehicle sales making us the number 3 player in the passenger vehicles industry. Moreover, this strategy has also led our BS6 range to become the youngest and safest in the Indian market.
Talking about the Safari film, great creative, what was the brief to the agency?
We wanted to take the iconic positioning of Safari- ‘Reclaim your life’ forward in a contemporary manner, keeping today’s SUV customers in mind.
Will digital beat tradition in your communication strategy or the pie will be distributed evenly? Will OOH also be used?
We have always tried to build in a mix of mediums in our communications to achieve the best results and reach. However, the distribution of the same varies from time to time depending on the requirement for a particular product. Digital has definitely witnessed a boom in the last few years and the pandemic too did stir things more in its favor.
