Getting a mountain bike, bogged down by a daunting competition, was not as easy task in an economy ridden by recession. But Mudra's perceptive tapping of consumer needs and satisfying them helped TI Cycles find a winner again in Hercules MTB.

Consumer insight and the right, almost intuitive knack of tapping that insight into effective communication is what builds a brand.

Mudra perfected the knack by appealing to young ambitious executives eyeing the luxury car (Mitsubishi Lancer) and by successfully pitching a westernized upmarket eatery like McDonald's to the common man. The challenge to proffer the humble bicycle as a physical symbol of adulthood to the young male already hooked by a strident competition was a daunting one. But the agency, with a brief to change the image of the Hercules MTB from the TI Cycles stable, dipped into its pool of consumer insights before taking the action to a different level.

"Teenage males look for newer physical symbols of 'adulthood' and independence."

This was circa 1998, when rivals Hero Cycles had almost caught up with Hercules which once had a clear lead in the mountain bike segment. Although Hercules MTB had become a sought after target with the young lot, achieving the position of a surrogate motorcycle, Hero was coming a close second, following every variant of Hercules with similar models and features at better price points. While the six years after its launch had seen Hercules MTB climbing to the market leader position, the period between 1998 and 2000 saw it struggling against a slew of launches in the premium segment of the cycles market. Cycles with gears and frame variations were the order of the day.

To achieve the marketing objective of increasing sales from 1.4 to 1.7 million cycles for 2001, Mudra narrowed down its target group - the urban male in the age group of 14 to 19. These were the young adults who had already tired of their BSA Street Cats or SLRs and were now ready to take the action to more challenging limits.

"The idea was to portray Hercules MTB as being capable of taking on rugged terrain and pushing the limits on adventure," says the agency. The television promo backed the claim - it shows a young boy on a Hercules MTB out-riding a charging rhino.

The ploy worked. The MTB Thriller became the largest selling model in the portfolio exceeding projections by almost 10 per cent. The market share of Hercules MTB went up to 1.8 million, and the gap between Hercules and the competition went up to 300,000 cycles.

Something the agency would like to be remembered as a runaway success!