It must be indeed saddening for Ratan Tata to see the tepid response to Nano, his pet car for India’s masses . It may be true that folks got scared when they read about Nanos catching fire on the first trip to home from the showroom. But, is that the real reason why Indians didn’t scoop up the Nanos? Doesn’t look to be so. Of course, the Tata Motors’ marketing and branding guys would have researched why, but they won’t tell us the scary secrets.
May be they misread that Indians wanted an affordable car. Was that a misconception? Are we not buying the best product in the category that is within the budget of each of us – be it an LCD TV or a washing machine or a car? If you see a guy on a two-wheeler, take a close look. He has bought the best in ‘his’ class. He needs the approving nods from his peers and neighbors, just as his middle-upper-rich counterparts aspire to.
How does Tata Motors promote the product in its ads, especially on TV? city slickers taking off to the far-away hills or to the village family home. Not that of a village clerk taking his family to the nearby ‘big town’ on a movies-and-shopping expedition. Not that of a rural family doing the rounds of their favorite deities, with all the family members in tow (a la pack-the-car). Think about it- Tata Nano’s markets are deep inside Indian villages, not among the impossible to satisfy city consumers. They will see value for money, prestige and most importantly, the much-wanted mobility. Unlike city arrivistas who are spoilt for choice, whose status symbols are the Audis and the BMWs, not the puny Nano. If a two-wheeler rider decides to upgrade, he would probably pick at least a Maruti Alto over the Nano.
So, who should Tata Motors expect to sell to in the over-populated Indian cities? the answer is – the youth, the teeeny weeny itsy bitsy ones. Its time for Tata NanoSport. In vibrant colors of the youngsters – inside out. With sexy graphics that arrest the attention. That comes with automatic memberships in NanoSports Online communities that promote fun and adventure. That would look so irresistibly cute that kids would drive them to the campuses with their heads held high.
NanoSport, where are you?
Posted on December 16, 2011
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