Hyundai Motor India recently rolled out their first corporate campaign with an aim to connect better with the youth. Sanjay Gupta, Senior General Manager & Group Head – Marketing, Hyundai Motor India, talks about India’s contribution to the global brand and their marketing plans
BY SALONI DUTTA
What was the insight behind ‘Life is Brilliant’, Hyundai’s corporate campaign specific to the Indian market?
This is the first time we’ve done a campaign specific to India. Our earlier campaign, which was made and designed abroad, had a global purpose but we found that not many people in India could recall it. That’s when we decided that we need a campaign which focuses on India and has a strong Indian connect. The objective of the ‘Life is Brilliant’ campaign is to make people understand what Hyundai is in India and how the brand is helping Indian families come together. It is based on a core philosophy, our brand direction which is Modern Premium. We base all our activities on three keywords – simple, creative and caring. The campaign is innovatively made as a simple story which everyone can relate to. We pulled up particular stories which haven’t been done earlier.
What defines marketing at Hyundai Motors India?
Our marketing objective is to target our end consumer which is the youth, through the forms of media they are most comfortable with. We are focusing on Digital and Mobile, then comes the web, followed by a regular focus on TV, Print and Radio. Most of our current campaigns run on traditional media but the new media are also playing an integral part.
Over the years, what have been some of the interactive programmes to promote the brand?
One of them is called ‘An Experience Drive’, in which we connect with our existing customers, and take them on a drive over the weekend to a holiday destination. We spend two days with them, hold contests, share their experiences and leave them with the feeling of a cultural evening. It is a fully sponsored trip. This is something we have been doing regularly over the past two years, not with the intention of generating more sales but primarily to deliver the feel good factor of the brand.
We are associated with the International Cricket Council and all their tournaments in the cricketing space. As part of that, we create fan parks – a big structure where live matches are aired and mostly it’s constructed in a location which is frequented by people and a big gathering can collect so that they can enjoy the cricket match at no expense. This is again with the intention of simply bringing alive what India likes, without an intention of forcing them to buy our products.
How do you ensure repeat customers and a long term association?
It helps to have a CRM system in place so you can track your consumer’s activities. We keep in touch with our customers through a regular mailing activity. Our entire database of about 30 lakh customers is kept engaged with promotional offers and invitations to our engagement activities. We recently sent a coffee table book to some of our premium customers.
How does India contribute to the global growth of the brand?
There are two parts to this. First, how Hyundai contributes to the revenues globally, which is Hyundai Motor Corporation. Second is, Hyundai is the fastest growing brand across the world, that is also a result of the activities undertaken in India. Among all the brands from every industry put together, Hyundai is ranked 43 currently. Two years back the rank was 60 or 63. The brand value of Hyundai globally is $10 billion, which is one of the highest in the industry. Hyundai India contributes about 10% to the global revenues.
What are the growth drivers for Hyundai in India?
In terms of market, North India contributes the maximum. From the products perspective, our hatchbacks contribute about 80% to Hyundai’s total sales in India. They are the real volume drivers. Other products such as Xcent, Verna, Sonata, Elantra, Santa Fe, are considered aspirational in their segments. With a total product portfolio of 10 brands, Hyundai services all segments in the Indian automobile industry. In most of the segments, Hyundai is one of the leaders.
What is Hyundai’s market share in India?
Hyundai has been the second biggest manufacturer in India since its inception 15 years ago. It is second to Maruti and currently enjoys approximately 16-17% market share in the Indian automobile sector.
How has Hyundai adopted the Digital medium?
We have apps as well as our mobile-friendly website. We keep releasing several videos on YouTube which become quite popular. We are active on social media through our official Facebook page, Instagram, and several blogs. We consider the feedback we receive on these platforms to connect with our customers better.
How do you plan to expand the brand’s dealer network?
Currently we have close to 400 dealers, showrooms, primary selling points, and 1,000 service points. We also have 800-odd selling points in rural areas called RSOs or Rural Sales Outlets. We have almost covered the entire country and continue to invest in this area. Every year we try to increase our number by at least 10% in each of these cases. As our product range increases, we are also trying to increase our sales points to get a better penetration in all markets, be it Tier I, Tier II or Tier III.
What are your plans for the brand in the coming months?
There is enough buzz going around but as of now there is no firm plan. We have already stated that Hyundai intends to launch some products in some of the segments. We are hoping to launch at least one or two products in such segments thereby targeting to increase our market-share on a year-on-year basis.
What are some of the trends you foresee in the auto industry?
In the next six months, interest and growth in the automobile sector will continue to be there. Policies which will help people go for additional products will also be there. The challenge is that the government is getting stricter on certain policies that they want to introduce with respect to safety, standards, and maybe structure. We are hoping that things will start progressing.
ABOUT THE BRAND
Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company (HMC). HMIL is the largest passenger car exporter and the second largest car manufacturer in India. It currently has 10 car models across segments – Eon, Santro, i10, Grand i10, i20, Xcent, Verna, Elantra, Sonata and Santa Fe. HMIL’s fully integrated state-of-the-art manufacturing plant near Chennai boasts advanced production, quality and testing capabilities. HMIL forms a critical part of HMC’s global export hub. It currently exports to around 120 countries across EU, Africa, Middle East, Latin America, Australia and the Asia Pacific. HMIL has been India’s number one exporter for the past eight years consecutively. To support its growth and expansion plans, HMIL currently has 405 dealers and more than 1,045 service points across India. HMIL set up a modern multi-million dollar R&D facility in Hyderabad which endeavours to be a centre of excellence in automobile engineering.
FACTS
Creative Agency: Innocean Worldwide India
Media Agency: Havas Media
Social and Digital Media Marketing Agency: Every Media
PR Agency: IPAN Hill & Knowlton Strategies
MARKETING TIP
One should keep their eyes and ears open, be open to ideas, and keep looking at all the possibilities.
CMO FILE
Sanjay Gupta has handled various areas in sales and marketing in his nearly 20 years of professional career, managing sales, marketing, service, channel, etc. Gupta has worked in diverse cultures including European, American, Indian, Japanese and Korean and has served in multi-nationals such as KSB, GE, Honda, Toyota and now Hyundai. Prior to joining Hyundai, Gupta served in Toyota Kirloskar Motor for more than five years as General Manager – Marketing. In his current role at Hyundai, he is responsible for corporate identity, strategic planning, marketing strategy, corporate communications, marketing communications and brand management.
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