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COVER STORY - TATA NANO RETURNS 1 Jan 12 MBA CLASS of 2013’s Initiative Presents First Specialized Online Magazine of Amity

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COVER STORY -

TATA NANO RETURNS

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Jan 12MBA CLASS of 2013’s Initiative Presents

First Specialized Online Magazine of Amity Business School

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[

MARKMITY]

FEATURED ARTICLES

Birth of ZooZoo

Scenenario of Marketing in India Post 1991

Marketing Manager of the Month – Mr. Atul Sobti

ALSO LOOK OUT FOR

Quiz, Spotlight Ad, Oppurtunities & lots more…

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HAPPY NEW YEARThe December holidays are the highlight of the winter for me. I’m a huge fan of cold and foggy weather. I like being free, holidaying, and spending time with my family while enjoying the serene beauty of the occasional sunrise and sunsets. The warmth of the hot espresso coffee and the decorations of the Christmas balls all around, makes this season irresistible. Well, it sets my grey matter to a switch on mode and gives a green light to the creative bent of my mind. This was the time when I was appointed to be a part of the first ever online marketing magazine of Amity Business School, a new initiative taken up by a friend of mine, who brainstormed and conceptualized this initiative along with his four friends and I just couldn’t say NO. Well, why would I? For me, this is one of the most exciting and informative opportunity in Amity Business School. We, as the team of Markmity and students of Amity Business School, promise to deliver countless opportunities to you as well. In other words, this our New Year gift to Amity Business School

Dear readers, welcome to Markmity, a new monthly magazine about the flourishing and dynamic marketing industry in the world. This is the first time that Amity Business School takes an initiative to publish a marketing magazine of its own, and I feel honoured to be a part of the same. It’s time to express your big fat Philip Kotler books and once again, redefine, marketing.

Markmity, the conjoint of Marketing & Amity, promises to make this journey of readership, a fruitful one. Another reason that I couldn’t resist this opportunity is that Team Markmity is a group of fun loving people who are chasing their dreams day in and day out. Marketing runs in their blood and they don’t hesitate in admitting that we would like to make big in this field.

Around 20 years ago, I, along with my family bought an Ambassador and charted a course for Sufdarjung Enclave, New Delhi. I still remember the big, huge, bulky car then. Yet, it was a status symbol to have a car that time. But now, things have changed, with the launch of Tata Nano, a mere 1 lakh car and concise for a nuclear family. Won’t it be interesting to understand what marketing strategies were followed by the Tatas, how it bombed initially… and what all have been changed since then?

With this issue our Guest Editor Siddharth Kapur will give an insight about change in marketing scenario after 1991 when India opened itself to Liberalization, Privatization and Globalization. Finally, Sukrit Vig, MBA General Class of 2013, our second guest editor of this issue will uncover

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advertising strategies undertook by Vodafone. The “Quiz-Zation”, “Brandfare” and “Marketing Samachar” adds to broaden your knowledge of marketing.

With this issue, we also introduce the concept of Marketing Manager of The Month. An Industrial Mentor would be added to our slate of regular columnists. Readers will be familiar with him, and he would take us to the journey of marketing ups and downs and the issues taken up, the strategies followed, in the industry. Truly it’s been a wonderful experience, and an honor, to be able to bring to you the best information we can find, from some of the brightest minds in the industry, to aid and entertain you.

So, thank you, all of you, for everything. Thank you to those who have written articles for the magazine, to our wonderful columnists, and to everyone from Amity who has graciously offered their time and resources to make the pilot issue of magazine. Most importantly, thank you to the entire magazine team at Amity Business School for being such a dedicated and passionate group of folks! It’s been my pleasure working with you every day, and I look forward to continuing to work with you.

We’re all part of something amazing, and I can’t wait to see the progress we in the management industry experience in the next 5 years, in the next 10 years, and beyond. I know that Markmity Magazine will be there helping us out each step of the way.

Small thoughts can turn into big changes. In putting this issue together, I was amazed at the number of small steps we all have taken, and continue to take, in our individual lives that benefit the business school, our thinking ability and our intellect. Each of our staffers shared many more ideas than we had room for in the short magazine “MARKMITY”.

I hope it’ll get you thinking of new ideas, as well.

Happy Reading

TEAM MARKMITY

Editor TEAM MARKMITY MBA Gen Class of 2013MBA M&S Class of 2013

Creative Team TEAM MARKMITY MBA Gen Class of 2013Guest Editor Sukrit Vig

Siddharth KapurIshita Arora

MBA Gen Class of 2013MBA Gen Class of 2013MBA Gen Class of 2013

E-Mail ID [email protected]

EXPRESSION OF GRATITUDE

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We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to Hon'ble founder chairman Dr A. K. Chauhan for his blessings. We would like to thanks Hon'ble ADG Sir Dr Sanjay Srivastava, who helped us in living our dreams to create a forever value for Amity Business School. We alos extend our gratitude to our Program Director Dr Sanjeev Bansal for his blessings. We would like to extend our deep sense of gratitude to Club and Committee Head Dr Himani Sharma for her valuable inputs. We, sincerely thanks, our Program Leader Dr., Rajnish Ratna(MBA) and Mr Hargovind Kakkar(MBA-M&S) for their support. We would like to thank Mrs Varsha Khattri, Team Leader of Marketing Club for supporting this initiative. Last but not the least, we would like to thank our teachers, families and friends for their support. This magazine is a collaborative effort involving all the excellent team members. We thank each and everyone one of them for the part they play in bringing the issue out.

In order to repay debt of gratitude, we ensure to create this legacy, which will be passed on to generations to come. We will ensure maximum quality and innovation to bring laurels to Amity Business School. As a promise of innovating with every edition, we will keep one page blank to express our desire to expand.

Our Vision

To foster a culture, where people express marketing in writing after research. To innovate on every issue of this magazine by adding special features on monthly basis. To foster capable and enterprising managers. To become hotspot for recruiters from famous media houses. To encourage spirit of innovation, risk and responsibility. To foster a culture of e-Magazine among other departments – Finance, Information

Technology, Human Resouce, Operations. To develop a sense of belongingness for our college. We believe that we are the system

and it is our responsibilities to add value to it, instead of being observer.

Thankyou

Team Markmity

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Wanna Work With us?First of all, thanks for downloading this e-Magazine and reaching 5th page of this magazine.

Jokes Apart, this is what defines us. As stated in editor notes, we are group of fun loving people who are chasing their dreams day in and day out. Marketing runs in our blood and we don’t hesitate in admitting that we would like to make big in this field. We believe that we are crucial part of this system (Amity Business School) and it’s our moral responsibility to take it to new heights. We believe there is more to MBA than grades and marks. This e-marketing magazine is an outcome of our shared values and goals.

We are looking for more like-minded, ambitious and selfless people who are ready to contribute to this initiative and make our college magazine at par with premiere Business school’s magazine. You can be Guest Editor by

1) Contributing an article, amazing marketing facts, stats, pictures etc., which you feel relevant to be published. It should be an original work free from plagiarism. 2) If you have flair for writing coupled with love for marketing, contact us, we will guide you on topics you can cover. 3) If you are good at animation, logo designing etc.

As a return, we will make you guest editor of an upcoming edition of the magazine With this, you boost your writing skills, knowledge and of course, C.V.

Apart from this, if you have any achievements at business school level, feel free to share. We will publicize your name as an achiever. Also, if you have any initiative or idea, we will help you to materialize it.

So, what are you waiting for? Don your writer cap and become part of this

first ever initiative. E-mail your contribution to [email protected]

Remember…

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“Initiative starts with an I”CONTENT

You & I in this beautiful world by Guest Editor Sukrit Vig 7 (An article about how Vodafone made its place into our hearts)

The Marketing Manager of The Month 11 (It covers strategies devised by a Marketing Manager to overcome challenges)

Spotlight Advertisement 15 (It salutes innovative marketing campaigns which inspires us to think out-of-

the-box)

Marketing in India – Post LPG by Guest Editor Siddharth Kapur 16(An article on change in marketing scenario post 1991 reforms)

QuiZ-Zation 18 (This will test your MIQ <Marketing IQ>)

COVER STORY - Tata Nano Returns 19

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Brandfare 22

(It covers brands endorsed by a celebrity)

Answers of QuiZ-Zation 23

YOU & I IN THIS BEAUTIFUL WORLD

Vodafone Essar is a member of the Vodafone Group and commenced operations in 1994 when

its predecessor Hutchison Telecom acquired the cellular license for Mumbai. The company now

has operations across the country with over 140 million customers. In a survey conducted by

India’s leading business weekly, Vodafone Essar was awarded ‘Most Respected Company’ in

the Telecom Sector for 2010 and the ‘Most Trusted Brand’ in India for 2010, by a leading

financial daily.

Vodafone created a place into the hearts of Indians by using its simple yet extra ordinarily

amazing and creative marketing campaigns. As a student of marketing what one can learn is the

timing and out of the box ideas that Vodafone has used.

Marketing Story :

Vodafone’s marketing is one of the best that the Indian consumers and the marketing world has

seen over the years, the used tools which can be described as “sticking to the basics”, as they

used ideas like simplicity, emotion, humor, love, information etc.

The Pug Story:

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In 2007, when Vodafone took over hutch, the transition time for the company was very less.

Decisions regarding re-launching of brand, positioning, channelizing, etc were taken and

implemented in four months. It was important for Vodafone to maintain the things as it is before

making any big change in the services, and to ensure that the company went for the similar ad

campaigns with a pug in it trying to show that the pug has got a new home.

The name Vodafone was not new to many Indians as the name frequently appeared in the news.

With its strong presence in the global market, the arrival of Vodafone in India was perceived as

positive sign for Indian telecom industry as it was expected from the company to raise the

standards of the services and bring more competition in the market.

Vodafone did not disappoint the subscribers and started an ad campaign specially designed to

position itself in the customer service space which was not up to the mark in the local players.

The company again used the pug to tell the customers that they really respect the customers and

feel ‘Happy to Help’. The experience of a common Indian customer was not good when trying to

call a customer care number and speaking to a representative who was hardly able to help the

customer in resolving the issues and problems. The bar for the service quality was raised. The

position was created, if you need better services, come to Vodafone.

The ZooZoo Campaign:

In 2009, Ogilvy & Mather, the agency that handles Vodafone advertisements, were asked by

Vodafone to create a series of 30 advertisements which could be aired each day during the

Second season of Indian Premier League. This time, instead of the Pug, the new characters

named ‘Zoo Zoo’ were created and used throughout IPL2. Each ad was used for promoting a

particular Value Added Service of Vodafone e.g. Easy recharge, caller tunes, internet, roaming,

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bill payment, SMS packs, music, unwanted calls blocker, etc. The ads were a hit among the

Indian people, especially the youth. This trend can be observed from the huge fan following on

social networking sites, Facebook, Orkut and Twitter.

Each ad positioned Vodafone as a company dedicated to provide basic and Value added services

to the customers in a manner easily understandable and accessible. ZooZoo has become a great

marketing story and is one of the best examples of how a simple character becomes the identity

of an already existing brand. It caught the attention of the consumers, aroused their curiosity, told

them stories and undoubtedly Vodafone has enjoyed tremendous gain in its brand image- thanks

to these loveable creatures.

A key point that made ZooZoo a success was its timing and positioning, as it positioned itself

during the IPL 2.

The concept of ZooZoo was created by an organization called Ogilvy & Mather.

About ZooZoo:

The egg headed white creatures with big ballooned bodies are characters promoted by Vodafone since the second season of Indian Premier League (IPL). Vodafone had asked Ogilvy & Mather to create a series of 30 advertisements which could be aired each day during the IPL Season 2. They are used to promote various value added services of Vodafone. Although they look animated, they are actually humans in wearing "ZooZoo" costumes. These ads were created by Ogilvy & Mather, the agency handling Vodafone advertisements. They were shot by Nirvana Films in Cape Town, South Africa.

The Idea was conceived by Rajiv Rao, the national creative director at Ogilvy India. The characters were named ZooZoo because Rajiv and his team "wanted something that sounded

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cute, lovable and a bit mad like the characters”. Rajiv also “wanted to make real people look as animated as possible".

The Power to You campaign:

In the latest Positioning strategy, Vodafone launched the ‘Power to you’ campaign. Power to you has the following features:

•"Power to you" comes together with new services that bring the Internet, the email & social communities closer than ever to customers.

• Easy email access, anytime anywhere, from a broad variety of handsets.

• Together with the new brand promise, Vodafone refreshes the IVR for easier and improved customer experience.

Vodafone was never expected to be a creative volcano. When Hutch became Vodafone, It was little skeptic whether the creative spark of Hutch will be carried forward by Vodafone. The news of the famous Pug being discarded deepened the skepticism of experts.

But the brand just beat all those cynicism.

ZooZoo was created to promote the VAS of Vodafone. Vodafone trying hard to capture the VAS space because it is a potential cash cow for cellular companies.Vodafone also wanted to make the most of the IPL season 2. Although IPL is a crowd puller, it is also a marketer's nightmare because of the clutter. IPL attracts all the deep pocket advertisers and to standout, one needs to think out of the box.

Thus adorable ZooZoo was born.

The success of the ZooZoo is the success of minimalism and simplicity. Although the production process of ZooZoo ads are not simple, as a consumer I was attracted to the simplicity of the concept and the execution. ZooZoo also highlights the power of storytelling. Each ad tells a very simple story. After all, brands are made through story telling.

CONTRIBUTED BY – Guest Editor Sukrit Vig

MBA Class of Gen 2011-13

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(Be The Guest Editor of Next Edition By Sending Article at

[email protected])

MARKETING MANAGER OF THE MONTH

Mr Atul Sobti

Mr. Atul Sobti is the General Manager of International Operations in Bharat Heavy

Electronics Ltd. ( BHEL ) New Delhi.

An eccentric and determined marketer, executed a perfect example of how an Indian

company like BHEL entered into foreign market, like that of Oman, which was earlier ruled

by the European and American companies. In this article, we take you to this journey, where

he won over mammoth challenges.

COMPANY PROFILE

ABOUT BHEL-

BHEL, established in 1964, is one of the oldest and largest state-owned engineering and manufacturing enterprise in India in the energy-related and infrastructure sector which includes Power, Railways, Transmission and Distribution, Oil and Gas sectors and many more. The company has been earning profits continuously since 1971-72 and paying dividends since 1976-77. Today, BHEL is the largest engineering and manufacturing enterprise in India in the energy-

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related/infrastructure sector and is recognised as Navratna company. It is the 12th largest power equipment manufacturer in the world. In the year 2011 , It ranked ninth most innovative company in the world by US business magazine Forbes.

It caters to the core sectors of the Indian Economy, viz. Power, Transmission, Industry, Transportation, Renewable Energy, Oil & Gas and Defence. The wide network of BHEL’s 15 Manufacturing Divisions, 4 Power Sector Regional Centres, 8 Service Centres, 15 Regional Offices, 4 Overseas Offices, 2 Subsidiaries and over 150 project sites spread all over India enables the Company to promptly serve its customers and provide them with suitable products, systems and services -- efficiently and at competitive prices. The high level of quality & reliability of its products is due to the emphasis on design, engineering and manufacturing to international standards by acquiring and adapting some of the best technologies from leading companies in the world, together with technologies developed in its own R&D centres. Also, BHEL has installed equipment for over 1,17,000 MW of power generation- for Utilities, Captive and Industrial users and supplied over one million Valves to Power Plants and other Industries.

The Motive of BHEL

To establish power plants on EPC i.e. Engineering, procurement and construction.

PRE-PLANNING ASSUMPTION

1) Indian product will be acceptable against the multinational companies from U.S.A and

EUROPE. And,

2) Besides quantity, other qualities, strategies like local participation etc will give boost to

the marketing strategy.

BHEL never compromised on the quality of the product come what may and thus they

had full faith on their products. In order to enter into a completely new market, BHEL

thought of involving local people of Oman so that they get complete knowledge about

the products, employment was increased and awareness was created.

MARKETING OBJECTIVE - To enter into new market and further penetrate it.

MARKETING STRATEGIES.-

1) COMPETITIVE PRICING

It pinned its price lower than that offered by the competitors, or made the price more attractive because of added incentives, such as longer payment terms

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2) GOOD QUALITY PROUCT OF CONTEMPORARY TECHNOLOGY.The quality of product was never sacrificed on issues like money or any other. Quality was always kept as the prime objective.

As a result, BHEL got the first job in power sector. The job was to construct a 30

MW gas turbine based power project for farm ministry of electricity and water Oman.

The second job, they bagged was in industry sector. It required them to construct a 30

MW power project under Oman Cement Company. The third job was in Oil and Gas

Sector. It was to construct a 3*30 MW power plant. It was under the Oman Cement

Company.

Various other projects included construction of a 100 MW power plant from Ministry of Electricity and water and a series of jobs from Petroleum Development, Oman. The job from petroleum development was first of its kind, for customers as well as for BHEL.

MARKET DEVELOPMENT-

There were three main strategies followed by BHEL to enter Oman.

1) Continuous interaction with customers and win brand conviction and recognition.

2) Involving local companies.

3) Ensuring to get customer and government support. For this purpose, people were

trained to do local jobs.

EXECUTION PLAN

MARKET AWARENESS

As per Oman’s history, Local markets were more prone to European products

rather than European products. The basic objective of BHEL was to firstly create

awareness of its products.

ACCEPTABILITY

After market awareness, the products were gradually accepted by Oman. For this

purpose, BHEL involved and educated the local masses of Oman.

PARTICIPATION IN TENDERS

It started participating in tenders in order to get projects from various companies.

CAPTURING, ESTABLISHING IN ALL MARKETS

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And then it was seen that BHEL has established itself in the European market. Just

two years back, BHEL secured a rate contract for gas turbines , Petroleum

Development, Oman for next 6 years period.

RIGHT PEOPLE, RIGHT JOB

Best people were selected, projects were completed on time, quality was always up to the mark and strategies were continuously reviewed to fine tune these as per new requirements.

.PRESENT SCENARIO

Now, more than 55% of power generating in OMAN comes from BHEL.

Since then, BHEL continued to have a local office there.

Two years back, BHEL secured a rate contract, which is for gas turbines, Petroleum

Development Oman, for next 6 years period. In between, BHEL , not only in power

sector but in the field of oil equipment entered into rate contract for supply of well

heads from the leading petroleum company.

LEARNINGS

As a student of marketing, we learned that for any market entry, a focussed approach

and a definite strategy is required. This case gave us an insight to what all a marketing

manager has to look into to get out the best of everything. We will be reminded of the

golden words said by Mr. Philip Kotler,

“The best advertising is done by satisfied customers.”

(Contributed by – Ishita Arora)

Would you like to see yourself here?Got an experience of marketing manager? Do you want it to get published and pay respect to

that marketing manager?

What are you waiting for?

E-mail your article at [email protected]

P.s – 1) It should be not more than 4 pages.

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2) The format should be followed as per this article.

3) We appreciate originality and kindly ensure, it is free from plagiarism.

SPOTLIGHT AD

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Liked this print ad? Do you think you can analyze this? Well, then submit your analysis of this advertisement, and we will publish it next edition. Mail your analysis at [email protected]

MARKETING IN INDIA – POST 1991

Marketing strategies of firms has changed drastically in the recent years. If you take into account the period before 1991 reforms in comparison to present scenario, there is a vast difference between marketing strategies of firms.

The period before 1991 was a one in which the seller was the king, the consumer had limited choices ,there were hardly any innovations in products ,the delivery mechanism was poor and the firms were also not interested in enhancing the quality of their products. That was a time when there were limited firms with little completion who didn’t bother to cater to needs of customers. Remember, waiting for months to get a telephone connection, years to purchase a car and a LML Vespa. People used to pay huge bribe to get telephone connection.

But after 1991, when India accepted LPG – Liberalization, Privatization and Globalization, scenario changed completely. Post 1991, new firms entered the market in almost every sector. They brought with themselves new approach to sell their products to customers. The competition in the consumer durables sector and FMCG products increased significantly. Soon Customer was made the king of the market. As a result, customer service is one the key aspect buyer look for.

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Firms started making attractive advertisements to grab the eyeballs of their target customers, prices and quality of the products being offered came under scrutiny, delivery mechanisms improved, new schemes and discounts were being offered, to attract customers. Firms soon realized in the booming Indian market where middle class is growing you need to deliver what the customer wants. If you don’t produce according to the needs of the customers, you will vanish from the market.

What we saw banks giving you calls for loans, automobile companies coming to your domicile for test drives, telecommunication companies proving connections within fractions of seconds with some cool schemes and plans.

Innovation became important for companies to survive in the market. For example: Nokia from its 3310 to Lumia 800 has delivered highly innovative products to stay in the market. Maruti Suzuki launched many fantastic cars after the huge success of Maruti 800 to be leader in the passenger car market.

Firms started advertising extensively. Many firms like Coke, Pepsi, Boost, Britannia, Videocon etc. started using film stars and cricketers to endorse their products. Many attractive advertisements were prepared to attract customers. Advertisements (read potshot advertisements) have become weapons to attack other companies.

Firms started advertising their products on the internet. Websites, social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are used to reach the customers, e-mail and mobile marketing too has become popular.

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The coming decades will also witness some major evolutions in marketing which will change the business environment completely.

Contributed by – Siddharth “Sallu Bhai” Kapur (Guest Editor)

MBA Gen Class of 2013, Amity Business School

(Be The Guest Editor of Next Edition By Sending Article at

[email protected])

Quiz-Zation

Q1. In the mid-1990s, famous ad for Pepsi featuring Aamir Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Mahima

Chaudhary was based on an American Pepsi ad- featuring which Hollywood actor?

a. Michael J Fox c. Sylvester Stallone

b. Tom Cruise d. Antonio Banderas

Q2. McCann Erickson bagged a Gold Lions at Cannes advertising Festival in 2003 for?

a. The Nutrela Campaign c. Thanda Matlab Coca- cola

b. Cancer cures smoking d. The Hutch boy & dog campaign

Q3. This brand hit big time as a result of a 1930s ad campaign titled “Night starvations story”

which dramatized the benefits of sound refreshing sleep resulting from the regular bedtime consumption of this product. Name the brand.

a. Cadbury c. Brooke Bond

b. Horlicks d. Lipton

Q4. What is the basic difference between the approaches of the advertisements of Lux &

Liril?

a. Lux does not use celebrities for endorsement, whereas Liril does;

b. Lux uses male models, Liril uses female models;

c. Lux uses female models, Liril uses female models;

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d. Lux uses established female stars from Bollywood in its ads, whereas Liril ads use new female models.

Q5. Identify the punchline - “Some of our customers will never buy a Mercedes.”

a. Toyota c. BMW

b. Mercedes d. Rolls Royce.

TATA NANO Returns The new television commercial for the Nano highlights the features of the spruced-up car, billed as return of the Tata Nano 2012. It depicts a group of friends are out on a joyride in the Tata Nano. Amid the fun and the laughter, the commercial highlights the unique features of the car: Groovy interiors, great suspension, comfortable air-conditioning, short turning radius and neighbour’s-envy-owner’s-pride kind of mileage. This return is one of most sought after

by Trade pundits as it will refuel Mr. Ratan Tata’s vision.

However, before we analysis the downfall of much hyped and awaited Tata Nano, first, let’s take a look about the unique features of the Nano 2012. To begin with, the car’s 624-cc engine has been made more powerful delivering an impressive 38PS of power (as opposed to 35PS) and 51Nm of torque (in comparison to 48Nm). The car’s performance too has been upgraded, and the car has been made more fuel efficient. There are other changes for car drivers to look forward to. The ride quality has been improved with a revised suspension and a better steering

COVER

STORY

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mechanism. The noise-vibration-harshness levels inside the car have been attended to to reduce the noise level by a few decibels.

There are cosmetic changes too. The interiors have been spruced up, with the Nano now available in a range of 10 colours including offbeat ones like Mojito Green, Papaya Orange and metallic colours such as silver and gold. The biggest draw, says the company, is that the car will wear the same price tag: starting at Rs 1.4 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

In terms of communication too, the company has learnt its lessons. At the time of launch it relied heavily on social media to build hype around the car. The brand undertook a course correction last year when it launched a campaign titled “Key to your happiness”. This was meant to appeal to middle class families in small towns, which may have been overlooked in the earlier communication.

This time around, while extending the key to happiness theme, the brand has chosen to engage a much younger audience group. This is a step away from the family setting or a newly married couple which was the focus in the earlier commercials. In short, even before the brand celebrates its second anniversary, the company has tweaked three (product, promotion, place, while price remains the same since its increase earlier this year) of the 4Ps of its marketing. Will all these moves make an impact?

Shifting GearsThis is not the first time the Nano is making changes to the car. Last year, the company had made changes in the exhaust and electrical systems, besides providing a four-year warranty. But these were small changes, prompted to an extent by bad press post a series of unforeseen fire incidents, making buyers distrustful of the car’s safety features. According to news reports, around 30,000 out of the 1 lakh initial bookings were cancelled after the fire incidents were reported.

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Unfortunately, since launch, luck has not been on Tata Nano's side. Even before the car was unveiled, problems relating to setting up of the plant, which in turn hit the company’s production capacity, meant the Tata Nano did not live up to its expectations. The production for the small car was hit when the agitation over compensation to the land owners forced the company to shut the Singur (West Bengal) plant, running on a temporary arrangement at Pantnagar (Uttarakhand) before moving on to Sanand (Gujarat) in mid-2010. All this led to supply constraints which meant no open sales but sales only through advance bookings. Advance bookings as a concept did not find favour among the target audience and the extended waiting time meant many car buyers lost interest in the much hyped cheapest car in the world. More importantly, the Nano was not a Rs 1 lakh car after all. The base model wore a price tag of Rs 1.2 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), at launch which was increased to Rs 1.40 lakhs in April 2011.

Unlike the previous attempt, the recent changes seem to be an outcome of the car’s flagging fortunes. As data from Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the apex industry body, shows, over the last few months the sales of the Nano have been on a downward slide. From 8,707 units in March this year and then 10,012 in April, sales have come down to 3,868 in October 2011. Sales did jump back to 6,401 units in November, but it is nowhere near the 20,000-units-per-month (average) target Tata Motors had set for itself at launch.

Add to that the rush of new cars in the segment-be it Honda (Brio) or Hyundai (Eon), most manufacturers are looking at the segment with renewed interest. While Maruti Suzuki has announced plans to launch a range of sub-800 cc cars, there is buzz that Fiat and Honda are working on smaller cars/diesel versions of existing cars. Flagging car sales also remain an area of concern. A series of increases in the interest rates and petrol prices have systematically hit

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the demand for cars, and the SIAM data shows car sales continued to slide for the fifth straight month in November.

Tata Motors is not leaving any stone unturned to ensure the car lives up to its promise. The company is stepping up distribution with vigour. Besides the 676 regular sales outlets, the company opened 210 Nano Access Points across the country for consumers to experience the car. For purchase, they would be directed to an adjacent dealership. “We are establishing exclusive dealerships for the Nano in towns with population of 2 lakh. Sixty such dealerships will facilitate sales and after-sales service,” says a Tata Motors spokesperson. In fact, there would be dealerships that will sell nothing but the Nano. Indeed, the rush to launch tier-3 and tier-4 specific dealerships exclusively for the Nano is the pivot in the entire revival effort.

BRANDFARE A Glimpse of brands endorsed by Mahendra Singh Dhoni

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Answers of Quiz-Zation1) a2) c

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3) b4) d5) b

WE ARE HUNGRYAn Appeal

We hope that you like the magazine and will look forward to next edition. Honestly, we didn’t like this edition of magazine as we feel that complacency hinders creativity and progressive attitude and even Ross Brawn, Technical Director, Mercedes Formula One team said “The enemy of stability can be complacency”. Yet, as a human being, we would love to read reviews both encouraging and acidic in order to motivate ourselves or improve Markmity. We do not require money, donations etc. This is your magazine and we require your support to change this initiative into a legacy which will be remembered as one gifted by MBA class of 2013.

Please write your reviews to [email protected]

We are looking forward to create an ecosystem where you will be served better. So, we are hungry and please feed us.

Thankyou

Team Markmity

MARKMITY MARKMITY

READERS READERS

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