The Hindu Business Line : Global goes local

Foreign car makers think taking the Eastern route in advertising will work, while their Indian counterparts aspire to give a global look and feel to their products. Catalyst examines the pros and cons of both approaches.

ANY American who recalls the anthem-like Chevrolet ads — from `Heartbeat of America' to `See the U.S.A. in a Chevrolet' — would be hard pressed to recognise its advertising in India. The launch campaign, `I am Chevrolet', uses distinct Indian imagery to introduce this quintessential Detroit brand. As for Scorpio from Mahindra — the ads were shot in Melbourne with Australian models, the music is international, and so is the overall look and feel.

Are car advertisers going through an identity crisis? Take the slick Tata Safari ad, set to funky lounge music, with shots of urban `animals' partying in a nightclub. Or, the Mitsubishi Lancer, which drives sedately past fields and other rustic locales. What drives carmakers to pick these routes? "It's basic psychology — you always want to be what you are not," reasons Jagdeep Kapoor, Managing Director, Samsika Marketing Consultants. "So international brands want to look Indian, and Indian brands want to look international."

Cars can be broadly classified as desi and firang, which cater to very different consumer groups and needs; the consumer expects status, prestige and an upscale image from the firang car, and basic utility from the desi car, Kapoor says. Certainly, advertising is an essential part of the industry: car sales are expected to hit 9.09 lakh units a year in the next five years, and a growth rate of 9.5 per cent by the year 2006-07. The highest sales are expected in the B segment, which will also have the widest range of models. Sales of luxury cars are also expected to grow at a marginal rate.

Advertising will be crucial for new launches, in particular, and it is not just cars that debate the logic of an `Indian' approach; many new entrants to the country, and especially in other high-value segments like finance and insurance, have chosen to "talk Indian and look Indian" to be accepted, says Jayraj Rau, Vice-President & Client Services Director, JWT, which handles the Ford account. They usually follow a timeline: first introduce themselves, and then go on to introduce their products. "There are ways to do it, a time-frame to do it in, and a fine line between striking a chord and seeming gimmicky," Rau says. "And the Indian consumer is smart — he is not averse to global brands, but nor is he going to be swayed by very desi, rustic images and change his mind."

In the case of Ford, the launch ad, which used the visual of a Kathakali dancer, introduced Ford as a global brand — rather than an American brand — now in India. All ads so far have been shot in India, but have retained a very international look. In branding, too, the Indian aspect has come gradually, as in the case of Ford Ikon, the `Josh' machine. "You cannot move consumers by saying you are made abroad — that is no longer a USP," Rau says. "So we have looked for images that are larger than life — not necessarily Indian or international — for the Ikon, which is fully built and made in India."

Well, a brand cannot get more Indian than Tata — so how does the brand position and advertise its Sport Utility Vehicle, still a new concept in India? The Safari was first launched in 1998 as the 4X4 SUV with the proposition, `Make your Own Road'. It was designed for out-of-town drives, but subsequent research showed that it was perceived as a luxury product, rather than a functional product meant for off-the-road driving. So, in 2002, the `Luxurious 4X4' positioning was introduced; the most recent campaign uses jungle imagery to reinforce the positioning. The company, which claims a 23 per cent share of the utility vehicle market, has also done some clever in-film advertising in Road, and has associated with numerous lifestyle events.

While international brands come with the advantage of a well-known name, Indian imagery may not always work for them, says Pushpinder Singh, Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather, which handles the account. On the other hand, international imagery works for Indian brands, because people like to buy into more premium imagery; in the case of the Safari, the off-road imagery has clicked, even if people only drive the vehicle on the streets of Mumbai and Bangalore, says Singh, who works on the account with Sagar Mahabaleshwarkar. "International brands come with a certain advantage — there is a huge badge value, but the Tata name is reassuring to the Indian buyer," he says. "It may not stand for the cutting edge technology that a big international brand stands for, but it's a huge reassurance."

Interestingly, a big international brand like General Motors' Chevrolet has chosen not to go the technology route; instead, its launch campaign is all about people and emotions, and Indian images. The reason behind this approach is that while Chevrolet is "a somewhat known name", it is not known for the kind of cars the company wants to be known for here, explains Sundeep Kumar, Director, Enterprise Nexus, which handles the account. Chevrolet has typically been associated with big gas-guzzlers like the Impala, but the company is bringing in products that are relevant to this market, so the communication also needs to be relevant, he adds. "Chevrolet has always been a mainstream, mass brand - and hence the thought, `I am everything for everybody' — and in any segment, we want to be close to the people, and evoke empathy and emotion in our consumer," he says. "So we will retain the imagery of Indians, rather than of India. And it is not a foreigner's view of India, but an Indian's view of India."

But how effective is the Indian route for an international brand? Advocates argue that it is essential so as to not seem alien or foreign. Those against it say, why fake it? "The first impression is the best impression," says Samsika's Kapoor. "So you cannot afford to confuse the consumer; if you go the desi route, the consumer may not perceive you as an international brand. And if he is confused, he will simply refuse the offer, because ultimately, the Indian consumer will buy you for the international label, so why not flaunt it?"

Another insight that foreign brands sometimes fail to get is that the average Indian consumer - especially the one car makers are targeting - is extremely comfortable with global images and products, says Nitin Bhagwat, Executive Director, Interface Communications, which developed the Scorpio campaign. "They think they have to take the `I am so Indian' route," he says. "But it's not just a matter of saying, `I too can wear a sari, I too can eat with my fingers'." Still, an international brand that takes an international route is common and is not noticed, whereas a foreign brand taking the Indian route or an Indian brand taking the international route gets noticed, Bhagwat admits. In the case of Scorpio, the company and the agency encountered a roadblock: the Mahindra heritage has always stood for rugged, rough and tough vehicles that are spartan, although very well suited for Indian conditions. And, as the Indian consumer generally believes that anything foreign is superior, there is an inherent scepticism about an Indian company's ability to deliver a world-class product, he adds.

"So you had the Mahindra image that is rooted in `Indianness', and a product that is truly international," says Bhagwat, who estimates the Scorpio ad spend so far at Rs 20 crore. "So some part of the PR exercise established that this is a totally Indian prod<147,1,7>uct that was developed indigenously, while the advertising projected the international image, and the idea that it can be seen in the best addresses and locations." With Mahindra's plans of exporting the Scorpio to parts of Europe and South-East Asia, this is also a fact, he adds. The Scorpio is also the first product from the Mahindra stable that deliberately put the branding first: so it is Scorpio from Mahindra, he points out.

At the end of the day, patriotism has a role in the purchase decision, but when the consumer is in the marketplace for certain types of products - especially at the upper end — he is simply looking for international quality, Bhagwat says. So the image of these products also needs to be global. But, the image of the product is tied in with the product itself, and advertising is but a part of the entire framework, and cannot exist in isolation, he cautions. "The advertising and product reality have to be in sync, they cannot be in disconnect ever," he says. "Otherwise you will be open to ridicule and alienate your customer."

Certainly, every brand targets a perceived need with a value proposition it thinks best addresses that need. And, cultural differences are less important than the economic differences that foreign brands encounter from one country to the next, says brand expert Prof John Philip Jones. "Emphasising the cultural differences is much less important - because you can make adjustments in the campaign and tweak it a bit," he says. "Figuring the economics is far more difficult."

The key to the advertising, then, is to be consistent and credible in projecting the personality of the car and addressing the need of the consumer. A one-off ad with Indian imagery will only show up the brand for what it is - an MNC trying very hard to look Indian. And an Indian brand that makes a half-hearted attempt at seeming international will also fail, because we are not overly enamoured with all things foreign, says JWT's Rau. No matter what's parked in your garage - phir bhi dil hai Hindustani?

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