An Unforgettable Experience Of Tata Cars

With Tata Motors’ latest offering Tigor, the company is targeting young buyers — a demographic it did not aggressively pursue earlier — through both offline and online experiential marketing. The impact is visible in the growing sales of its new product. In an interview with RUHAIL AMIN, VIVEK SRIVATSA, head of marketing, Passenger Cars, Tata Motors, talks about the auto giant’s innovative approach to attract young customers, boost sales, and improve experiential marketing

- Ruhail Amin

How is digital redefining the marketing game for auto players?

Digital is changing the game constantly. Close to 92 per cent of car buyers go online to get information about cars. Now they don’t need to visit the showrooms; around 80 per cent of people who are in the process of purchase go online to look for the best deals. A customer may be in our showroom, but he is simultaneously checking the best prices available online. We now have a more informed customer and a smarter one to deal with.

What are the important purchase trends in the auto industry today?

If you look at the trend a few years ago, the most important factor for buying a car was fuel efficiency and the cost of ownership. But in the last couple of years, things have changed quite a bit. Today, the number one reason to buy a car is the design of the car. So from a functional benefit, which was fuel efficiency, it has changed to an emotional parameter that is the look of the car. It is a big change that we have seen unfold, and this shift has also impacted the way we market our cars today.

When we recently launched Tigor, although it is a sedan, which has become a conservative segment and mostly attracts families, it surprisingly found a huge traction with youngsters too. Almost 43 per cent of our Tigor customers are less than 35 years old. So, at Tata Motors, we are constantly attracting younger customers by communicating and developing products that appeal to them.

How is the role of AI and big data impacting customer acquisition in the auto sector?