As a brand, Mahindra & Mahindra has evolved over the last 75 years and one of the areas where it has significantly evolved is technology, shared Nalinikanth Gollagunta, CEO of the Automotive Division. He spoke on the challenges of keeping up with the legacy of a brand like Mahindra, catering to diverse audiences and the changing times.

Excerpts from the conversation:

Mahindra is a legacy brand that has a popular range of products in the category. What is the brand’s current marketing outlook?

We put our customers at the centre of everything we do here. The customer journey in today’s time starts from digital, and they could then show up at a showroom, have a look at the vehicle, and then return to a different part of the decision journey on Digital. We have to be part of that journey all across and therefore, any of our marketing approaches must have that balance. Quite a bit of our spending is going to Digital, but at the same time, you’ve got to keep in mind that sometimes you’ll have to transcend that and get into the physical journey as well.

The second part of it is the mix between above-the-line and below-the-line marketing spends. At a lot of places, even though we do quite a bit of ATL spending, we are also looking at BTL and hyperlocal as part of our journey. Once we start thinking hyperlocal, the stakeholder base changes for us. It’s not just advertising, it’s also what we do in close cooperation with the dealers as well. In the past, you could have seen this brand being monolithic, spending money on its own, but now we’re starting to think about partnering with dealerships and going through with that.

What does the media plan look like? Which medium takes the lion’s share and what are you currently focusing on?

The media plan changes from quarter to quarter. We were part of the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 as one of the sponsors. That quarter is over-indexed in one direction because of that sponsorship. There could be a quarter where we might have a launch coming up, then it changes to the next one. But digital is taking the lion’s share of what we spend.

There’s a lot of media spending happening across different categories. Customers are on the screen most of the time, hence, we’re increasingly starting to use digital in ways that have not been done in the past. It could be, for example, using AI to drive some engagement with customers. We’ve also looked at partnering with other digital players and working with them.

The recent campaigns by Mahindra have been speaking about specific features. Why this sudden approach of highlighting specific qualities of a product?
We started the discussion by acknowledging Mahindra as a legacy brand, but sometimes, the word ‘legacy’ has some negative connotations to it. We are a brand that has enjoyed massive loyalty over the last 75+ years. But when you’ve been around for that long, certain attributes get associated with you. While most of them are good, sometimes they can restrict the brand.

The reality of the matter is that we as a brand have evolved over the last 75 years. One of the areas where we have significantly evolved is technology. It’s not just features inside the cabin, but features that give you a terrific ride as well. So, we felt that there was a very strong brand recall for the product. But we want to use the campaign to show that this is the new Mahindra in terms of the technology and the features we bring to the table.

When it comes to offline activations, hosting a fashion show to launch a car is unconventional. Could you elaborate on that?
If you think from a consumer perspective, there are many facets to their lives. One moment they could be driving a car, and the next, visiting any of the fashion websites, and this is natural to them. In our heads, these are categories, but in their heads, they have a unique personality and identify with a lifestyle. So, we as a brand need to be present and relevant across all the different lifestyle choices that consumers make. I wasn’t around when the campaign was conceptualized, but the notion is that we are part of a consumer’s lifestyle, and we must work with the various other parts of that lifestyle.

Mahindra is running multiple campaigns in several Indian languages, and the consumption of its products is not restricted to Tier I and Tier II regions anymore. What are the key markets in the country right now and what do the regional strategies entail?
We have brands that go all the way from rural regions to small towns, and which further reach out to consumers who are looking for those cutting-edge products on the top end, where we have international brands. Our brands cover pretty much the entire geography of the country. Our ability to go after extremely niche markets, be it in terms of language or culture, gives us tremendous leeway from a commerce perspective.