“Our intent is to create a premium market in scooters, appealing to consumers who see their automobile as an expression,” says MV Krishna, Associate VP, Marketing, Piaggio (Two-wheelers). Krishna talks about the fashion quotient in the brand’s new campaign and its new beginning in India
Q] The brand’s first ever TVC has a distinctive play on fashion, making it appear contemporary. At the same time, the TVC ends with ‘unchanged since 1946’ - how does this position the brand ?
The brand positioning is of a premium lifestyle brand, marking the start of a luxury segment of scooters in India.
Q] Does the positioning then pose a challenge, as it will not be sold for mileage and resale value?
We do not want to sell Vespa for its mileage or performance or resale value (while all these for Vespa are as good as competition or better). Owning a Vespa reflects your personality. With Vespa, one makes a statement. Given this, the marketing efforts are different compared to what one might do for a brand which is sold on a utilitarian platform. But in a market like India, staying away from rational utilitarian benefits is not an easy task.
Q] What was the strategy behind the decision to enter the television domain for the first time?
The TVC communicates our position better and the emotional connect is much stronger as well. For sure, it is a more efficient medium to reach a wider geography, particularly in India, which is a large and diverse country.
Q] Has the communication strategy been changed to reach out to consumers more effectively? What were the insights behind this?
At the global level, Vespa is positioned as a premium lifestyle brand. Our positioning strategy has not changed. The Indian communication strategy has been developed specifically for India, based on our understanding of the market. Vespa is a timeless, iconic brand and this thought, captured in the line ‘fashion unchanged’, connected well with the consumers when we tested it out.
Q] Vespa was perceived as a premium brand that had firmly established itself in the 40s and 50s. Can you share the brand’s current strategy, and how it is supported by the distribution?
In the 40s, Vespa was not quite launched as a premium brand, but over six decades, it has acquired stature worldwide. The ‘premium’ comes from the iconic stature of a brand that has withstood the test of time, changing fashions and lifestyles. Our intent now is to create a premium market in scooters, appealing to consumers who look for more than just a form of mobility, those who see their automobile as an expression. We have close to 60 Vespa stores in top 40 cities. Our stores are designed to impart the appropriate imagery. Each store has a Vespa history wall, where the brand’s origins are there for consumers to see and understand.
Q] What is the market-share the brand is targeting for this year?
We have not set market-share targets. Our intent is to create a premium luxury market (it may not be very large, though). Market-shares would mean that you are referencing yourself to existing mass appeal brands. That’s not what we want to do. We do have our own volume targets. Vespa in India will meet the aspirational needs of the fashion, style and brand conscious youth who would like to be exclusive, distinctive and a breed apart. It will be a disruptive force in the two-wheeler segment and will bring India into the league of international markets where consumers are looking to own nothing but the best. When we envision the Vespa buyer, it is not about mere demographic attributes, but the mindset. For a Vespa owner, the pride of ownership comes first, price is secondary. It is for those who want to ride in style and make a fashion statement as well. It is not just a scooter, but a means of expression and an extension of their personality itself. The Vespa is positioned as a lifestyle, iconic, timeless and ageless product that goes beyond mobility and leverages its rich heritage and unique values. Iconic brands always stand for something unique; they weave into the very fabric of the culture, society and values. And they have a much deeper meaning to the consumer. Such cult brands like the Vespa have a strong loyal following; they are seen as lifestyle enablers which consumers badly want to covet.
Q] What are the other activities to increase consumer engagement undertaken by the brand? What role does the digital medium play in this?
We are active in the social media space. In only five months, we have 2.3 lakh Facebook fans. We had a pre-launch contest and a launch campaign in the digital space. Our TVC, while on air, is also supported through a digital initiative. We also participate in events which have an appropriate fit with our brand and have created mall-based activation modules taken across key cities.
Q] What is the strategy to re-establish and strengthen the brand’s position, after the end of its association with LML?
We just have a Vespa brand strategy; we are beginning fresh in the true original avatar!
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