BENGALURU: What does an automobile seller do when it’s seen its sales numbers fall year on year and it has split with its major sales/distribution partner? In a bid to try and double its sales numbers from less than 10,000 units (from less than 1 per cent) of the passenger car market in 2012-13, Fiat Group Automobiles India Private Limited (FGAIPL) has planned a strategy resting on three pillars – product, brand and network strategy. And with that strategy in place, the company plans to double its market share every year for the next three years.
To that effect, on the brand front, starting 13 April 2013, the company launched a 360 degree campaign to run for eightweeks (or two months, if you will) ‘Make the move’ campaign conceptualised by Ogilvy. The campaign encompasses television, initially with a 60 second TVC which has been pruned to 30 seconds and has three mix-n-match variants; uses print, digital, outdoor and local event based radio. On television, besides the conventional mainline and regional GECs’, news and entertainment channels, the campaign had its share for 10 days of the on-going IPL season 6 limelight. Media buying is through Maxus.
From the product point of view, the company has planned what it terms as an exciting line of launches over a two year period. In fiscal 2010, Fiat sales figures in number of units were 24,000, the next year 16,000 and last year just 10,000 units. It expects to grow its sales volumes and market share with newer products.
After parting ways with Tata Motors on the sales front, FGAIPL, which commenced sales operations last year, launched its first CAFFE dealership store in Bengaluru and its third after Pune and Mumbai in India today. India is the only country among 11 others that has three CAFFE dealership stores, all other countries have one each until now. The Bangalore dealership is FGAIPL’s 54th dealership, with another 21 to be opened over a three month time frame. FGAIPL had announced that its dealership network in the country would be 112 numbers over the next year or so and is confident of reaching 100 stores by the end of the current fiscal.
