Virat Khullar, Group Head – Marketing, Hyundai Motor India Ltd. talks about the insight behind the new campaign featuring Indian women cricketers, marketing spends, and more As an extension of the #TheDriveWithin campaign, Hyundai India has launched another leg of the campaign featuring cricketers of the Indian women’s team Smriti Mandhana, Taniyaa Bhatia, Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues. The campaign, launched near International Women’s Day, highlights the real-life stories of the leading Indian women cricketers to encourage today’s women to follow their passion and become successful in their careers. Virat Khullar, Group Head – Marketing, Hyundai Motor India Ltd. talks about the insight behind the new campaign, leveraging sports events to reach the right target group, efforts towards women empowerment, marketing spends, and more. Edited Excerpts

The campaign features Indian cricketers Smriti Mandhana, Taniyaa Bhatia, Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues. What are the synergies here and how are you looking at leveraging this association? We have had a long-standing association with sports, our players, as well as audiences, share synergies with sports across the globe. Athletes across the world are driven by passion and commitment which enables them to become top performers globally. Hyundai also shares this same spirit of grit and determination; developing products and solutions that are built with passion and commitment to showcasing a superior performance on the world stage. #TheDriveWithin will put forth the resolve of these cricketers that pushes them to break boundaries and excel with the support of their loved ones. Each film will individually showcase how a key person in the lives of these young and talented Women Cricketers has encouraged, challenged, and supported them in their journey to harness #TheDriveWithin. How are you building on the earlier #TheDriveWithin campaigns? We previously announced our association with four Indian women cricketers showcasing their drive to achieve extraordinary feats and attain the pinnacle of performance. This new campaign further builds on the narrative, giving viewers an insight into the real-life stories that drove these individuals to achieve higher and better than before. Through the association, Hyundai has been able to build on the unique life stories of Smriti Mandhana, Taniyaa Bhatia, Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues and connect audiences with their inspirational stories. How are you looking at leveraging the ICC Women's World cup? Are you looking at associating with the Indian women's cricket team or any other sporting event? Hyundai Motor India is associated with BCCI as an associate sponsor for all international matches at home. For ICC Women’s World Cup, we are a Co-Presenting partner, amplifying our association multifold and further strengthening our bond with cricket. This association is another step towards motivating and empowering the Indian women sportsperson. What is the media mix you are looking at to promote this campaign? Please give us a sense of in terms of percentage. #TheDriveWithin campaign will run from March to April 2022, showcasing Hyundai’s commitment to inspire Women Athletes. We will be promoting the campaign across digital and electronic mediums along with TV Exposure during the Women’s World Cup. As an organization, what are Hyundai's efforts towards gender diversity and women empowerment in India as well as globally? Hyundai continues to realise its global vision of ‘Progress for Humanity’ through diverse partnerships with women leaders to support and empower young talent. Our partnerships signify Hyundai’s commitment towards enabling women’s power that defines the new age India. As women empowerment is fundamental in driving a country’s socio-economic growth, in the future, we will be investing in innovative campaigns towards gender diversity and women empowerment. Also, on regular basis, we have been committed to iterating programs and policies that will benefit all employees, especially women and underrepresented groups at the company. For FY21, your digital media spends share had jumped up from 10 to 30%. What percentage is it at currently? Are you looking to increase that as well? Hyundai follows a digital-first marketing approach. With digital being the fastest medium to reach Millenial & Gen Z audiences, being a youth-centric brand, we explore new ways to reach out to our audience with initiatives like Influencer Marketing. Hyundai India is No. 1 community on social media channels among automotive brands in India. For the past several years, investments in traditional advertising have been consistent but digital marketing spends, by comparison, has consistently and significantly grown year after year.