“Performance must have a objective,” mentioned Partho Banerjee, head of gross sales and advertising and marketing at Maruti Suzuki, throughout a candid dialog on the India Digital Summit 2025. In a session moderated by Vivek Malhotra, Group CMO & COO at India At the moment Group, Banerjee make clear the evolving advertising and marketing technique for Nexa, the premium providing from Maruti Suzuki.
Banerjee emphasised that the Indian shopper stays deeply value-driven, with performance typically on the forefront of their buying choices. Nonetheless, he defined how Nexa has efficiently bridged the hole between performance and objective, particularly with their CNG automotive lineup, by reimagining their method to attach on a deeper emotional degree with prospects.
“We now have been within the CNG race for the previous 40 years. Even in our earlier communication, CNG was a really tight performance, whale atmosphere, and all the things are good causes; on the finish of the day, all of it comes right down to the private advantages for the patron.”
He mentioned again then, there was no objective apart from saving prices. “There was no affinity or a likeability quotient towards the product.” Nonetheless, he added that the Indian shopper at present is “courageous and understands sustainability”.
Drawing on international inspirations, Banerjee recounted his go to to the US, the place Tesla homeowners shared a unified sense of satisfaction of their contribution to the planet.
“I travelled to the US to fulfill some Tesla shoppers. Once I requested them what it meant to be a Tesla shopper, they responded, ‘I’m making my little bit of contribution to the planet.’ All of the seven-eight shoppers I spoke to, together with the company workers, had the identical response to the query, ‘Why Tesla?’ I believe Tesla has executed a improbable job.”
Banerjee additional said that the sport for his or her CNG vehicles modified after they thought of making their shoppers really feel proud about their decisions, as a substitute of them feeling embarrassed about their low-cost decisions.
He additional emphasised the significance of constructing communities. “Campaigns come and go; nevertheless, in the event you develop communities, they begin believing in you.”
Malhotra then requested how entrepreneurs can attraction to youthful shoppers whereas sustaining a steadiness between performance and feelings. Banerjee responded, “A number of key components should be thought of in any buyer communication. Firstly, managing prices and sustaining progress are essential. Syndicated methods have revealed that 51% of Indian shoppers worth performance; nevertheless, it is important to align performance with a transparent objective.”
“Entrepreneurs ought to deal with societal challenges and emphasise the importance of every buyer out there.” He added that emotional connections and a shared objective, along with product performance, kind the muse of communities.
The car producer is gearing as much as showcase its new eBorn SUV, the eVITARA, on the Bharat Mobility International Expo 2025.
Talking concerning the firm’s outlook for the EV class, he mentioned, “At present, EVs contribute solely 2.5% of complete gross sales. Whereas everyone seems to be launching a product, we intention to create a strong ecosystem earlier than coming into the market. With eBorn, we aspire to create a group the place everybody has an outlined objective and contributes to the collective objective. By fostering this sense of group and objective, we are able to differentiate ourselves, obtain better success, and successfully deal with the wants and aspirations of our prospects.”
Written with the View : afaqs