Car majors build on digital marketing

AFTER the rural market rejuvenated car sales, auto companies are now building on digital marketing activities to tap onto a new set of tech savvy customers. The strategy is to generate business through consumer interface over internet and mobile phones, say auto marketers.

Maruti claims over a lakh cars it sold last year originated from digital marketing initiatives while Tata Motors saw 4,000 customers booking its low-cost car Nano over the internet. Other automakers are also witnessing a similar response on their digital platforms.

Honda’s third generation of flagship car, City, regained its leadership position in the mid-size car segment in the first month of its launch in November on the back of strong digital interface with customers. Not to be left behind, Volkswagen is using Net and mobile to tap the 2.5-lakh strong customer base in India, owning cars over Rs 10 lakh, for its Jetta and Passat premium sedans.

Passenger carmaker leader Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) first tasted success with online marketing with its small car A-Star, which generated huge interest on the net with over 2.5 lakh online hits. “We sold around 4,000 A-Stars based on customer interface on internet and have doubled online marketing activity for the new hatchback Ritz with a microsite launched a week ahead of the launch and offering various exclusive options to loggers. Around 17-18% of our sales now are estimated to originate from digital marketing from mere 2-3% in 2005,” MSI chief general manager (marketing) Shashank Srivastava said. Other carmakers are also actively tapping the interactive social networking sites and blogs on the web advertising space.

Honda is launching a new programme in July to track sales originating from net. “Our cars are primarily targeted at rich and younger customer who are net savvy and take keen interest in blogs and different web activities. Digital marketing helps us build a strong brand,” Honda Siel Cars veep (sales & marketing) Jnaneshwar Sen said. He added that preliminary estimates suggest internet is responsible for 5% of Honda’s total sales in India.

Earlier, Tata Motors’ dedicate website on Nano got a little over 30-million hits from the date of launch of the car to the closure of the booking. “It’s easier to reach professional like doctors and engineers and other target audiences with a strong influence on their purchase decision,” said Amardeep Bajpai of Webisdom.

By Chanchal Pal Chauhan NEW DELHI, chanchal.chauhan@timesgroup.com