Mahindra & Mahindra is set to launch its car, the KUV100, on 15 January 2016. It is billed as a ‘SUV’ that will take on cars in the segment of the Maruti Suzuki Swift and the Hyundai i10 Grand.
To build buzz prior to launch, the company roped in Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan as brand ambassador and released a series of initiatives to establish a connect with youth.
Among these was a 10-second 'trailer' for the launch which featured the actor directed by Zoya Akhtar. The film is currently on air and on social media and has been conceptualised by Interface Communications.
Vivek Nayer, CMO – auto division, Mahindra & Mahindra, explained, "Varun Dhawan personifies the young TG that we are targeting through this car. We cast him in the TV film. The film has been directed by Zoya Akhtar because she knows how to capture the cool and trendy youth in India through her movies. This is just a trailer. A 360-degree campaign will be launched around 20 January."
The pre-launch campaign kicked off on 26 Dec 2015 and invited the audience to send in Dubsmash videos, asking users to ‘Share your feelings when you first saw the Mahindra KUV100 through a Dubsmash video, and stand a chance to win The Young SUV!’
The contest ends today, 14 January 2016. According to Nayer, ‘hundreds of Dubsmashes are still coming in’. What helped was Dhawan’s video initially and even group head Anand Mahindra lending his Dubsmash skills.
The Dubsmash contest was among ideas the company's digital agency Hungama Digital came up with.
Nayer explained, "We got Dhawan to launch the Dubsmash competition. I joined in, and got Anand Mahindra join in the fun too. He sportingly created a Dubsmash video featuring a Shah Rukh Khan dialogue and posted it on social media. This had a life of its own and got tonnes of engagement. We have had more than 7,00,000 views of various Dubsmash videos. This is different from other contests because because it’s creative for those who are participating. It’s bringing out their innovation and creativity which means their level of engagement is higher. People are doing Dubsmash videos and sharing it on social media.”
Other marketing efforts for the pre-launch included an event on 15 December. The company also released images of the car prior to the launch for the first time and it got them great feedback and reactions, claimed Nayer.
He explained, "People have loved the look of the vehicle. The car stands out from the crowd. There’s a clutter of cars in this segment, and this is distinctive in its look. The TG is Maruti Swift and Grand i10 consumers. They have an alternative now, which is a SUV compared to these hatchbacks. It has the character of a SUV.”
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