Buzz or Fuss !!!Who in the world doesn't know about Nano right now. The lower end families have already in their minds decided the color of their Nano to which they are switching after their long time maintained 2-wheelers. The middle end families look forward to have luxury life of having more than one car in the family. The high end families don't have to think much before buying a gift for their grown up children now. Thanks to TATA Nano !!!
Its already there !!! The Brand Awareness is Already there !!!
So does TATA really need to penetrate into market through these Print Ads or through TV Commercials. The brand is already registered into minds of the consumer, now the endeavor remains to convert that into brand usage. The Print Ad here encourages to buy Nano so that one can fit his family into a small car. So is the highlighted point about car is that its Spacious?? Nano is known for the 4-wheels that a lower end person gets at an affordable price. So why to confuse a consumer. He is happy to get the talked about vehicle of country. He is not concerned if that vehicle is advertised in newspaper/magazine/ TV. Nano is a pride for every person of the country because it is a reason for smile of so many families. The smile which they get from the comfort and the luxury of a 4-wheeler. So why not let consumer stay happy with that feeling without confusing him with other features of the product about which he is probably not even concerned.
The buzz that TATA wants to create for Nano already exists. The buzz was created long back when the concept was introduced. To reinforce the Brand image, TATA can try rolling out few cars on the road. Road Shows and Test Rides are ways through which vehicle can be seen on road. Today, there cannot be a bigger enthusiasm than seeing Nano run everywhere on Roads.
So why not spread the word that Buzz which was created is worth it !!!
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Very Nice articles .. Budding CEO
ReplyDeleteNice article..Kudos...certainly CEO in making
ReplyDeleteI still have some apprehensions about the success of the vehicle "NANO" (Not brand "NANO" as it has to prove a lot before it can be called a brand, till then it is a product for me). Reasons are as follows
1. Whom are they targeting and who will buy : You said that 2-wheeler people is it's target segment, are they really its target segment. Ground reality is that Brand awareness about which you are talking is high among rural India, as they are the potential buyers. They are the one who have been waiting for this for a long time (Even Singur, to drive a few if not manufacture).And their buying power is no doubt is based on Monsoon, which our MeT department has Predicted 96% "Near Normal". Now the prediction by our MeT is correct as many times as we have won Olympic Medals. So, though it may seems a very easy game but still a long way to go.
2. BRAND "TATA" : NANO has achieved a worldwide appreciation, but we should not forget that one of the basis for that is brand "TATA". Actual test for "NANO" would be after three to four quarters after the vehicle is on road (Expecting above average quality by TATA, above average road conditions and above average driving sense or usage) else it would be even early than expected. Tata's should work on two of the three mentioned points to delay the worry of service of the product.
3. Will a person be ready to buy a vehicle for 1,00,000 and ready to invest 10% (even 5% would amount to Rs 5000) of it on its services and maintenance.What would be the cost of Maintenance is a point no body is willing to question during this time of achievement. Would the life of product will be same as that of Maruti 800 (One of the most successful vehicle, till date), which even on lower terms is 8-10 years (Personal experience included).
4. Going by the Indian Consumer behavior who always look for mileage (Running cost) will also be a question (never go by advertisements, bikes in India is advertised to give a mileage of over 100 Kms per liter * under test conditions)
5. As you are aware that India is a land of diversity not only in areas of language or religion but also geographically. Mountainous regions of Himachal, Kerela and North East add another barrier to success of NANO.
Maruti 800 was a success as it performed functionally well across all terrains and then made sure that it can be repaired anywhere and by anybody. And then they did branding. I have no issues with pre-launch branding exercise.But for success of any product (at least in automotive sector), I still believe what former MD of Maruti Mr. Jagdish Khattar had as his Vision " To sell more Vehicles through service arena than through Sales Arena."
Tarvinder Singh
I disagree with you that the messaging focus needs to be about the cost.
ReplyDeleteIt is important to understand that Nano as a product is not just for the indian market. It would also be equally appreciated in Korea, vietnam maybe even Brazil and other emerging countries.
Tata has already made the "price" a global phenomenon so its a waste of $$ to create additional ads that talk about the price.
Instead, the focus should be on creating the brand and take the focus away from the price to emphasize that even though the car is low cost, it is NOT really built to a price and offers some great features.
Now, there aren't too many features they can talk about so it makes sense to focus on the "emotional" quotient of owning a car.
As the ad starts talking about the bigger message and not the price, it will be a great way for them to start a "premium" nano range too which could then directly compete with the 800.
Finally, to add to what Tarvinder says, the bigger issue if you ask me is not even the maintenance but fuel. The montly fuel costs of this car will be equivalent or even more than the EMI. In that aspect, appealing to the emotional aspect of owning the car is a way to offset the thinking of "can i afford the running costs?"