Nissan throws its hat into the cricket ring

Guillaume Sicard remembers a casual conversation he had with Roel de Vries, Nissan’s Corporate Vice President and Global Head of Marketing and Brand Strategy, a little over a year ago.

“He asked me about the Indian market and I gave him my impressions which included the strong connect people here have with Bollywood, music and cricket,” says the President of Nissan India Operations. From Sicard’s point of view, the company had to be associated with one of these fields. And even while this chat with de Vries was going on, Nissan had already kicked off talks with the International Cricket Council (ICC).

It was obvious to the company that traditional forms of communication were not so effective anymore. “Clearly, the important part is engagement and people need to be engaged with an idea of a familiar brand. Partnering with sports works because it is about the moments in your personal life when you can relax and concentrate,” says Sicard.

On Wednesday, Nissan made it known that it was signing an eight-year deal with the ICC where it would be the sponsor for the Cricket World Cup, Champions Trophy and World Twenty20 as well as Under 19 and Women's Cricket.

While the Japanese carmaker is associated with a host of sporting events across the world, it is for the first time that it is stepping into the cricket arena. Sicard believes it makes sense since cricket is a “way of life” in India. This long term commitment with ICC fits in well with Nissan’s strategy for the subcontinent, tipped to be the third largest car market by 2020.

And even while this is “the crème de la crème” association, Sicard is only too aware that the hard work for his India team will begin almost immediately. “We need to find the right means to connect with our audience and generate that level of excitement about Nissan with cricket. We have a lot of work ahead in terms of PR, digital, employee and network involvement,” he says.

By the end of the day, India is the nucleus of this agreement with ICC and the job on hand is to deliver and show that the company was right in investing in this partnership. While nearly 70 per cent of the focus is on India, South Africa is also important as a market for Nissan.

Sicard believes the company will now need to offer the right products with great customer experience in the brand building exercise. “Cricket will not help us sell cars but grow the brand in customers’ mindsets and fit into their daily life values. We need to be on top of recall when it comes to buying a car,” he adds.

To that extent, cricket is expected to generate the initial trigger and create that level of proximity for the viewer with the Nissan brand. The product and dealer will then have to do their bit in taking this bond further. As Sicard puts it, cricket will ramp up role for the brand but for sales to be generated, the right product and network are critical.

Going forward, the company will launch a new Datsun by mid-2016 and is also working on a host of Nissan-branded products. The R&D team in Chennai has been “working very hard” on the India line-up product plans. “Headquarters trusts India and investments will follow as a matter of course. The ICC tie-up is vindication of this faith and things are going in the right direction,” says Sicard.

Yet, he admits that India has its share of complexities and challenges. The customer here is demanding and wants value and cost. “It is not as if he wants cheap cars but wants high value and content,” he says.

The choice boils down to “creating specifically” for India or opt for the more pragmatic route of choosing products from Nissan’s global portfolio. “I want to make sure that the voice of India is louder than the others. This means that when we develop new products, we include what India needs,” says Sicard.

For instance, if a country in Latin America wants a 4.5 metre long car, Nissan’s operations here may also want the same product at 3.99 metres (keeping in mind the sub-four metre rule for lower excise duty). This is when India’s voice needs to be loud enough for HQ to pay attention to its requirements.

On the Datsun debacle, Sicard says it is perhaps important to invest considerably more in advertising for greater brand visibility. “We were probably too shy and need to ensure that we keep on progressing to connect better. The brand power is not at the level expected and we will perhaps use ICC as well to promote the Datsun brand,” he says.

In the future, Sicard believes there is an opportunity for two brands to exist in the Indian retail arena where Nissan is on top as an elitist option with high technology, features and iconic cars. There is then room for Datsun which is cost-effective with high value. The key message is that it is not Nissan in terms of perception but Datsun.

“I need to constantly uplift Nissan with the true international flavour for India and position it higher than the market. Then we can attack the lower end with Datsun,” he explains. Today, both brands are sold in the same location but the future could just see exclusive outlets for each of them.

COMMENT NOW