After a disastrous yr when it comes to gross sales (1,693) in 2020, Audi India grew 100% in 2021 to promote 3,293 models. However, this was nonetheless decrease than its numbers from 2019 (4,594) and 2018 (6,463).
Campaign India caught up with Gaurav Sinha, head of marketing and PR, Audi India, to learn the way the German auto producer is completely different strategies of marketing (together with a special take on influencer marketing) and electrical automobiles to realize development.
Edited excerpts:
Since the pandemic hit two years in the past, how has Audi India altered its marketing? Are you more centered on digital now?
When the pandemic began, it got here as a shock not solely to people however to the complete marketing ecosystem.
Fortunately, roughly 9 months earlier than the pandemic broke, we had gone aggressive on digital. We had began with AR and VR options. We had additionally launched our app by way of which we have been working on direct join programmes with the shoppers.
The pandemic expedited the change throughout India for us. While these digital initiatives have been taking place in round six cities, the pandemic meant we had to do that throughout the 30 cities we have been current in.
A yr later we realised there was pandemic fatigue. We noticed there was a rising urge for food for personalised experiences. We saved in thoughts all the security parameters and social distancing and created smaller occasions with participant numbers as little as 20 folks. Those grew to become fairly in style and the response and expectations of shoppers to these occasions are a lot better than how we thought them out to be. That’s the change in buyer behaviour we see put up the pandemic as properly prospects need more personalised and customised experiences.
When we discuss digital, it is now not nearly show or a easy on-line video. We want to make use of dynamic inventive optimisation. In the luxurious phase, it is vitally essential for the concepts which you stand for, and not simply the life-style that you just stand for. Often folks make the mistake that the client is searching for solely aesthetics. I all the time say the client can also be searching for ethics and so it’s essential what the brand stands for.
Digital versus conventional – what’s the break up now when it comes to marketing spends?
Pre-pandemic, our digital spends have been rising 15-20% YOY. Since the pandemic hit us, that has modified. When it first hit, digital contributed to virtually 100% of our marketing spends.
And now, with issues opening up, digital remains to be main when it comes to our total funding on platforms.
Where we’re more and more spending is on experiential and influencer marketing.
Unlike another manufacturers, influencer marketing is a singular alternative for us, just because the conventional buyer and influencer see an overlap.
For different manufacturers, influencers are only a technique of communication, however for us, it’s the buyer.
Almost all of our current influencer marketing campaigns consist of shoppers or grew to become prospects put up our affiliation. For us, influencer marketing just isn’t the conventional definition of influencer marketing the place we’re utilizing them only for attain. As they’re already prospects, it’s a manifestation of who’s an Audi buyer.
So would all of your influencers be prospects or do you’ve gotten pure influencers additionally appointed for brand campaigns?
In current instances, we now have had prospects as influencers. We are usually not going out to conventional Instagram or YouTube influencers.
How do you get your prospects to put up about their automobiles on social media? Not everybody can be seemingly to take action?
Invariably our client is shopping for the automobile, not as a useful want however to have fun success. It’s a normal standing in society and it’s a press release you make to the group.
Keeping that in thoughts, we’re seeing that individuals are more than completely satisfied to speak about their purchases. We don’t must incentivise them to speak about it. Having mentioned all of this, sure individuals are very cognizant of the worth their phrase holds on social media or public platforms, and there we now have to nudge them to speak. That is the place the marketing facet is available in and we encourage them to be a little bit more vocal about the purchases they’ve made of their personal life.
Does that imply the conventional brand ambassador doesn’t exist anymore for Audi?
No, I wouldn’t say that. We name our ambassadors ‘Friends of Audi’. A brand ambassador tag places numerous weight on the shoulder of the particular person. I believe ‘Friends of Audi’ makes it a little bit more palatable.
The ambassadorial function in a standard kind is one thing that the majority manufacturers are additionally shifting away from. We have many ‘Friends of Audi’ however in the conventional sense of the phrase as a brand ambassador, we might have just one, and that’s Virat Kohli.
Does that additionally put much less stress on you? We are seeing cases the place celebs get themselves in scorching water and that goes on to harm brand associations too?
To be sincere that is not the purpose we now have the ‘Friends of Audi’ technique. That danger is all the time there if you cope with folks in any stroll of life. It can occur with a fellow worker or any of us who’re in a small means in the public eye.
I might write a Tweet that would have an effect on us. I’m not for a minute making an attempt to say that I’ve that attain, however folks know I’m related to the brand and something I say might find yourself changing into a difficulty.
But I do not suppose you make these selections (brand ambassador appointments), preserving these unfavorable ideas in my thoughts. You take a look at how an affiliation will be a bonus and what advantages you get.
I believe manufacturers are shifting away from ambassadors as a result of the aspirational stage and the means we talk is altering.
Earlier, one among the key causes for having a brand ambassador was that they might offer you the attain, recall, and break the litter. Now, the brand ambassador space is so cluttered that you just are likely to neglect who’s endorsing what.
The final large launch for Audi was the Q7. How was this launch marketed?
The Q7 is a really attention-grabbing product for us. In India, we’re historically recognized to be very robust in the SUV phase. The Q7 is the flagship of SUVs.
The Q7 nameplate made Audi synonymous with celebrities, achievers and industrialists. Not so way back, virtually everyone was ‘papped’ in a Q7. So, it’s a automobile folks understood even with out the Audi reference. The new mannequin gave us an enormous alternative to succeed in out to this TG. We had an attention-grabbing combine for the launch. We needed to see how the pandemic was going earlier than the launch.
While digital was a giant a part of the marketing combine, we used different media equivalent to out-of-home round airports as air journey elevated.
We additionally checked out direct communication which is conventional WhatsApp communication. Other efforts included showroom walk-ins with micro-events being organised. We checked out show occasions and sponsorships too. We sponsored small and focused occasions the place the brand will be showcased.
There’s no TV or print concerned in any respect?
No, for the Q7 marketing campaign particularly these two mediums weren’t chosen.
How does Audi India view TV and print?
We have a TV marketing campaign developing for the e-tron.
Digital will in the end overtake total TV spends by the finish of 2023 or 2024, however we consider firmly in the latter as properly.
TV offers us with a singular alternative of not solely showcasing nice design language but additionally narrating a narrative to emotionalise the brand.
Further, the definition of tv is altering and evolving. There is numerous appointment viewing taking place throughout information and sports activities, however there may be additionally the return of leisure viewing. There is an OTT fatigue setting in. OTT peaked throughout the pandemic, however now I’m additionally seeing lots of people not desirous to make the alternative of content material they wish to watch and as an alternative surf tv channels. It’s not a giant development, however I can see that the development of massive OTT gamers is slowing down.
TV would contribute round 20-25% of our total marketing spends and can be ranked second, behind digital.
Audi is one among the luxurious automobile makers which have guess large on EVs with 5 automobiles in the space. How a lot would EVs contribute to your gross sales?
Lots of people state that electrical automobiles are the future. We say electrical automobiles are the present. Audi’s the solely carmaker in India, which at the moment presents 5 electrical automobiles.
We have betted closely on EVs and our head Balbir Singh Dhillon has gone on report and mentioned that we count on 15% of our gross sales to come back from them by 2025.
Globally, our chairman said that after 2026, any new mannequin that launches will solely be electrical.
Our portfolio on electrical is robust however the gross sales can be nascent proper now, just because we’re working in the super-premium luxurious phase. The e-tron was a grand success and we misinterpret the market and projected for decrease demand numbers. So, we couldn’t meet the demand after we launched.
That wrestle continues with the semiconductor drawback additionally going on now. This is impacting our total enterprise with a more pronounced impact on our EV vary. For us, the marketing campaign and marketing concern is about constructing consciousness about EVs. It’s not the alternative for the future, it’s in entrance of our eyes.
But the pricing does level in the direction of it being a future development, with a giant distinction between EVs and ICE automobiles?
Pricing will dictate phrases, however I wish to give the instance of the Apple MacBook or the earlier Apple computer systems. They have been prohibitively costly. The sport was to showcase the know-how and get folks into the potentialities. Once folks see the know-how EVs use, the change might be expedited as a result of the ecosystem will work in the direction of it.
The gross sales figures of EVs in the final two years are stunning, as seen with Tata.
The change will occur proper earlier than our eyes earlier than we might even realise it. It just isn’t going to be dictated by charging infrastructure, it’s going to be a results of private adaptability to the new know-how.
When was the final time due to the Government did any change get expedited in India? The economic system is people-driven and the Government allows the change. If the Government adjustments the obligation construction, sure, adaptation in luxurious can be quicker.
But then, simply because one thing is reasonably priced, folks would possibly nonetheless reject it, if they do not consider in it.
Right now EVs can be at the tip of the iceberg. If you see all the mass automobile makers, everybody has exhibited their intentions on this course.
The key for us in marketing is twofold – one is constructing brand drivers round the electrical picture of Audi and the second is dispelling misinformation and a few of the doubts about which prospects have electrical automobiles.
We have labored extensively in what we name the buyer training train. We created numerous direct communication property and applications to provide assurance to the shoppers.
In phrases of gross sales, you offered virtually double what you probably did in 2020 however nonetheless fell in need of 2018 and earlier than. What are the expectations from 2022?
Numbers are dictated by product availability. Lots of people equate numbers with pure gross sales when it comes to buyer acceptability.
This yr we began very robust with the Q7. We launched the Q5 in December and ended the yr robust. We are already speaking about a few more new merchandise popping out in the subsequent few months. So, we count on the yr to be optimistic when it comes to gross sales numbers. I wouldn’t be capable to remark on precise numbers, merely due to the provide state of affairs.
You additionally appointed a retail communication company final yr. What was the concept behind that?
The concept is to sharpen the focus on what we’re doing at the retail stage. We have 60-plus touchpoints at round 33-34 areas.
Sometimes what occurs is that when you’ve gotten a macro focus, a few of the final mile connectivity when it comes to brand and marketing footprints will get misplaced. So, to sharpen it and take a devoted strategy there we received in L&Ok Saatchi & Saatchi. We thought that we wanted a separate accomplice to focus on retail.
But the showrooms work independently, so wouldn’t it be troublesome to realize the devoted strategy?
We have a peer-to-peer relationship with them. We have a central brand theme that will get adopted.
Finally, what can be three large marketing challenges for you?
We must proceed to create engagement with the buyer as a result of the accessibility of data and the consumption of communication is so heightened proper now for the common client. The problem for a brand like us is to interrupt the litter and create engagement. We do not have spends to match FMCG and even the fantasy sports activities gamers. Yes, we aren’t current in these classes however have to interrupt the litter and nonetheless create engagement.
Secondly, we get clubbed as a German luxurious brand. We must get our distinct identification.
Thirdly, we now have to maintain understanding what is going on with media consumption behaviours. We should carefully watch how media is evolving. Digital just isn’t a stream, it’s the mainstream and the remainder of the mediums are evolving round it.
https://www.campaignasia.com/article/audis-india-marketing-chief-on-the-cluttered-brand-ambassador-space-and-more/476671
