BENGALURU: Along with fresh expenses towards mass media communications for eight new variants launched within a week, Indian automobile major Tata Motors has planned for larger ad spends this fiscal revealed Tata Motors Passenger Vehicle Business Unit president Ranjit Yadav to Indiantelevision.com. The increased spends include brand building of the mother brand as well as the various passenger vehicle models and variants from the Tata Motors stable.

"The Tata Group companies always vie for the podium - to be among the top three in any business," said Yadav who was in Bengaluru to celebrate the success of two ‘Tata Nano expeditions‘. - A team set a Guinness World Record by accomplishing the longest journey of 10,218 kms, in a Tata Nano, in 10 days, breaking the current record of 8046.74 kms and a 78 day all India drive in a Nano across 26,500 kms by a 62 year old Thomas Chacko who has penned his journey‘s experiences in a book ‘Atop the world‘. A new TVC was also showcased at the event.

Digital communications play a big role in Tata Motors communications plans - "With 40 to 50 per cent of car buyers checking out specs and details about cars, digital is very important for us," informed Yadav. It is on the conventional social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter among others.

Three agencies handle the creative work for various models of Tata Motors - Rediffusion, O&M and FCB Ulka. Media buying for old media is Lodestar. For digital media, the company has a number of agencies informed Yadav.

In a bad market scenario, Tata Motors, which has a 12 per cent market share of the passenger car industry in India, is looking to grow market share to 14.5 per cent. Tata Motors too has seen a decline in its statistics when compared to last year. If the industry numbers shrink further, Tata Motors may achieve that growth even if its own numbers remain flat or shrink at a rate that is less than decline in the industry‘s figures.

The automobile sector in India has certainly seen better days and is in for tough times. Numbers have taken a dive over the past seven months and industry sources are skeptical about even the low growth figures indicated by Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) is the apex Industry body representing 46 leading vehicle and vehicular engine manufacturers in India.

Some percentage of parts of all cars made in India is imported. The continued downward slide of the rupee vis-?-vis the US dollar has added to its woes, with the cost of imported components becoming dearer in Indian rupees.