It’s not just a bike, it’s a part of history -- this positioning of the Bajaj ‘V’ bike, the latest offering from Bajaj, created a buzz on social media ever since its first campaign teaser came out on Republic Day. Sumeet Narang, VP, Marketing (Motorcycles), Bajaj Auto Limited tells us how Bajaj managed to create an emotional stir in the minds of consumers for this bike, manufactured using scrap metal from India’s first aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant
By NEETA NAIR
Q] Tell us about the genesis of the Bajaj V and the story behind launching a bike with a piece of INS Vikrant’s metal in it.
More than a year ago, we were working on creating a differentiated daily commute bike, which should look and feel solid, give you a sense of standing tall and have a proud stance. Bikes which compete in the 125cc to 150 cc segment either have a neutral styling or may be slightly sporty, but we wanted something more mature from a styling point of view. After several months of designing and refining, our R&D team created a bike which looked amazing. Now the question was, how do we add a stronger soul to the bike? At this point, Leo Burnett which was handling the Bajaj Discover brand, came up with the idea of creating a special edition bike by using steel from INS Vikrant, India’s first aircraft carrier that had just been sent to the scrapyard. The Leo Burnett team developed and presented the idea, which matched perfectly with the ‘V’ that we at Bajaj were working on.
Q] What is the target audience for Bajaj V?
It is commuters who generally ride 100-125cc bikes. Bikes in the range of 150cc, like Pulsar, usually find a place in the sports segment. Ours is a 150cc bike in the daily commute space because it gives good mileage. Our target audience is customers who have otherwise been eyeing a 125cc bike, but are now upgrading themselves to 150cc because they see a proposition which is not as aggressive as a sports bike and yet has got the maturity they need with regard to form and function. In terms of appearance and its DNA, V is a bike that they feel very proud to ride. Demographically, they would be from NCCS A and B, and we would target the urban customer first. Like any brand, it’s important to establish ourselves in the urban market first, and if that happens, the rural automatically follows. I have never seen the reverse ever work for any automobile brand.
Q] You launched the teaser campaign for Bajaj V featuring INS Vikrant on Republic Day, before advertising on TV. How has the digital first strategy worked for you?
Firing all your channels on the same day is not what 360-degree or holistic marketing is all about. Just by advertising, you can’t establish any new brand in the automobile category. A product with a promise needs to find support in the right kind of conversations, positive reviews and buzz within the market with people discussing its performance, looks, opting for a test ride, all of which are important in the initial period to build the right base for the product. So, we wanted to give time for the product awareness and imagery to grow organically. From launching the teaser on digital platforms like social media to organizing motorcycle rides with Indian Naval officers to making a documentary on war veterans who served on INS Vikrant, the way we worked around this product was tougher than just creating a TVC. I don’t believe any TV campaign could have got us the kind of results we have now.
Q] What kind of response has the Bajaj V got, if you were to talk numbers?
In April, we recorded sales of around 24,000 units of Bajaj V. On the very first day i.e., March 23, we delivered around 10,000 bikes, which is fantastic for a bike in the 150cc range. The demand is exceeding the supply currently. There is a waiting period of anything between 2-4 weeks for the Bajaj V.
Q] What kind of marketing mix are you looking at for the campaign now?
TV is going to be the big medium going forward and you will see a full-fledged campaign this month. So TV will create more awareness and position the bike on its core proposition, which is solidity in performance. It also tells the story of the metal of INS Vikrant taking shape as a bike. We have started activations in malls across the country.
Q] Are you going to take forward the use of branded content on the digital medium alongside the TVC?
The film on war veterans who have served onboard INS Vikrant will be promoted by us through the month of May and as we go along, we have some fairly exciting ideas to keep surprising you.
Q] Do Indians hold sentiments like patriotism so dear that they would consider this aspect while buying something as expensive as a bike?
Yes, they do. Obviously, we do understand that they look at the product as much as they are looking at the price of owning a piece of INS Vikrant within that. We could have easily created a special edition Pulsar or Avenger with the INS Vikrant steel, but then we thought we won’t be doing justice to such a tall idea. We couldn’t have roused the patriotic sentiment simply by bringing an element of nationalistic pride in our existing brands. The fact that we launched a new bike in a unique form has made the whole proposition compelling for people.
Q] Talking about other brands, what is Bajaj’s market-share in the entrylevel and sports bike segments?
In the sports segment, our current market-share is upward of 50%. It used to be in the zone of 40%, but increased after the launch of Avenger. In the entry-level commuter segment, which has low price 100cc bikes, we leverage brands like Platina and CT100. Here, we are at No. 2 position, behind Hero, and have a 34% share of the market. We have focused on these two segments in the past year when it comes to new launches, because when combined, they make half of the motorcycle market. And in this pool, we have the highest market-share. In the executive segment, we have Discover, but there were issues with that brand, and things didn’t work out as planned. That is a segment we are going to be targeting with the ‘V’.
Q] So is ‘V’ expected to deliver what Discover could not achieve?
Discover had a strong run in the beginning, but because of some issues, we changed our model and even the brand positioning got a bit diffused. ‘V’ has been launched with a purpose of dominating this executive segment. Obviously, we will have to give it time, because this is a fiercely competitive segment. But the positive news for us is that our launch in this category with ‘V’ has been fairly impactful and it has been noticed by customers as well as the industry.
Q] You had about eight launches in the past year; which one was the most successful?
The Avenger has been a hugely successful launch. Within 3-4 months after the latest model of Avenger was unveiled, it has become the No. 2 sports bike in the industry, No. 1 being Pulsar. CT100 has been a big success, at the entry level, and it has given us a very strong presence in the rural market. RS200 has been a phenomenal success as well. In the sports bike category of above Rs 1 lakh, the No. 1 bike is KTM and No. 2 is RS200, both are our brands. They are well ahead of offerings by Suzuki, Honda or Yamaha.
Q] What are the challenges that you face as a brand?
We are aiming for an impressive growth of the industry as a whole. Additionally, we look forward to a good monsoon this year and with it, we hope rural demand for motorcycles will shoot up. The other challenge is to create a dominant position in the executive segment.
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