BANGALORE: Indian automobile major Maruti Suzuki Ltd plans to spend around Rs 200 million towards mass media communications for ‘Ertiga’, its first car in a new category of vehicles – ‘Life Utility Vehicle’ (LUV).

The annual mass media spends for this fiscal are Rs 300 million say industry sources.

“We typically spend around 65 per cent of the budget for a vehicle at the launch stage,” revealed Maruti managing executive officer (Marketing & Sales) Mayank Pareek while speaking with www.indiantelevision.com on the sidelines of a press conference to announce the global launch of the vehicle.

“A teaser campaign has been on since the last ten days. Over the next few days, we plan to start airing a TVC to promote the Ertiga,” revealed Pareek. Maruti has planned a multimedia campaign for the Ertiga. This includes press advertising; outdoor, television and digital.

In the recent years, Multi Purpose Vehicles (MPVs) have emerged as the fastest growing sub-segment among utility vehicles (UV) showing a growth of 20 per cent CAGR over three years. The Ertiga is based on its very popular Swift platform and is priced to attract families that aspire to buy a UV but can’t afford one.

Lowe Lintas handles the creative duties, while Initiative takes care of the media buying duties for Ertiga.