TV created buzz, desire for our products: Vijay Kaul of Yamaha on the rise in demand in Diwali

Despite the initial hiccups in the first half of the year 2020, there were some bright signs this Diwali for automobile players.

Yamaha Motor India has seen the category grow in September and October compared to the same period last year, said Vijay Kaul, Deputy General Manager, Marketing Communication, Yamaha India. “In October, Yamaha has grown by 31% over the same period last year,” he said.

This Diwali has been good for the category like every year. The pandemic also made personal mobility critical for travel and a preferred mode over public transport, boosting the growth numbers.

According to Kaul, the category is witnessing a higher traction from tier three and rural-rich markets.

The two-wheeler industry witnessed a jump in vehicle financing, attractive EMIs and DP offers across brands, which has given more benefits to customers to opt for a personal vehicle.

However, he believes it is a big task to build upon this revived consumer sentiment from here on.

He said, “It’s a big task to keep the sentiments on upswing. External factors can’t be controlled but yes, from the manufacturers’ side, we are focusing mainly on product innovation and mapping customer expectation with our brand DNA.”

Further, the new launches will keep the momentum going for the auto industry, he added.

Talking about the role of marketing and ad spends this festive season, Kaul said the company has gone aggressive with its marketing plan, focusing its ad spends on TV and digital.

“Since this quarter is the golden period, we are maintaining the spends level at par with last year’s festive season. Some of our marketing efforts were focused on new verticals such as Yamaha apparels and accessories being sold on Amazon and online booking of vehicles on our website,” he said.

Although it is still waiting for the final results in terms of which medium worked or which did not, Kaul feels both the mediums — TV and digital — are connected in the consumer journey framework to last-mile action for the company.

He said, “Every medium has its role to play. TV had created an immense buzz and desire for the product by communicating the festival offer. This enabled walk-ins and enquiries to our dealer networks. Most of the prospective customers explore on search, websites and aggregator platforms for further information.  Based on the lead generation form filled, we connect with this customer who has shown interest in our product and offers and want our dealer sales team to contact them.”

The pre-Diwali month (October, with 31% growth over previous year), he said, had a positive correlation to its marketing efforts.

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