German airline Lufthansa is putting a lot more emotion in its TV commercial to create brand awareness in India. Its first television commercial ever to be telecast outside Germany, airing on TV sets here now, is to woo Indian customers by saying travel is not only about precision, safety and efficiency but also a lot about emotions.

The commercial, says Wolfgang Will, Director, South Asia, Lufthansa, reflects the “soul of Germany with the heart of India”. It has brought into play that emotional factor, which was not well represented so far, he explains, in an interview to BusinessLine . “There will more such commercials in future,” he adds .

“We fought for this commercial as India is one of the most important markets for us. We are known to be the brand for safety, efficiency and reliability. But travel is about emotions too and we are stressing this fact through the commercial. Our presence in the last 50 years here has given us an unparalleled understanding of our customers’ needs. The commercial will help customers see the brand’s Indian side and connect with the brand even more,” he said.

Launched on July 21, the commercial portrays a grandfather and grandson taking their first Lufthansa flight out of India and are surprised by its very ‘Indian’ service, be it the food or the crew.

The commercial is delivered through the prism of Lufthansa’s “More Indian than you think” philosophy and aims to let audiences discover this aspect of the Lufthansa brand. While frequent fliers know about Lufthansa’s products and services, the German airline is trying to woo first-time fliers, students and leisure travellers, he said.

The airline will soon tap social media and also place billboards in major locations to help raise brand awareness, Will said.

International traffic from India is growing in double digits as the middle class grows and earns higher purchasing power. “Lufthansa wants to take part in this growth. We see there is lot more potential and we would like to reach out to more customers on board,” he said.

The airline has 46 flights a week out of five metros, including Chennai. Last month, it added capacity in the form of larger 747-8 aircraft to Bangalore. The addition of 140-170 seats on each flight was quite considerable. “We are confident to sell this additional capacity,” Will said.

The airline plans to bring the A380 aircraft to Mumbai and Delhi as soon as possible to cater to demand in a better way. It is in the process of getting approvals from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, he said.

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Published on August 18, 2014