Category creation is the buzzword for Ultra Motors
Hero Electric, the electric two-wheelers from Ultra Motor Company and Hero Cycles Limited, is playing it safe in getting its foothold in India. It is currently focussing on creating a category for electric vehicles, post which it would be aggressive in its media activities.

With ‘green’ gaining ground across the world, all things eco-friendly are being adopted by concerned citizens – be it technology, lifestyle or even modes of transport. Hence, the rise in the use of hybrid cars and electric two-wheelers. Keeping this in mind, ‘Hero Electric’ was launched in India. The brand, developed by UK-based electric vehicles solutions company Ultra Motor Company (UMC) in technical collaboration with bicycle manufacturer Hero Cycles Ltd (HCL), has adopted a different promotional route. The company plans to first drive in the concept according to the different target audiences and price points of the seven models.
In September 2006, UMC and HCL had signed a technical collaboration and joint marketing agreement to produce and jointly market the new range of electric two-wheelers in India. Hero Electric was launched in January 2007, which was followed by awareness campaigns. By April, the bikes were visible on the roads in Delhi NCR, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, west Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat. About seven to eight showrooms were being added every month.
By mid-September, the company aims to have 50 exclusive showrooms across North and West India. This would be followed by the opening of showrooms in the southern region in October, followed by presence in the East by January 2008. The company is confident of having 120 showrooms across the country by 2007-08.
According to Deba Ghoshal, Director-Marketing, UMC, “We have two main sets of target audience. The first are the teens who want to leave behind their bicycles and upgrade to a bike before they attain their legal riding age. The other segment is the age group of 24+. They could be riding a petrol scooter or a moped and are looking at economy and utility.”
Ghoshal further explained that with three million bicycles being sold annually in India, and the biggest player in scooter segment, Bajaj, having left the market a few years ago, there was a fair chance for Hero Electric to score well in the evolving market. The company sees a scope of converting at least 10 per cent of the two-wheeler riders, which is estimated to have a size of 4 million units annually, with bicycles having a share of 3 million units.
Although it is a new category in India, electric bikes are likely to witness an exponential growth. According to a report by ACNeilsen, the category potential of electric vehicles for 2007-08 is two lakh units and is projected to grow to 4.9 lakh units in 2008-09.
While it was found that people are willing to pay a minimum of Rs 12,000 for the electric two-wheelers, the company’s lowest price point is Rs 14,000. The company currently has four variants of the electric two wheelers – E-bike, E-bike Plus, E-scooter and E-scooter Plus – which differ on speed and price points. All the seven models of the electric two-wheelers are branded as ‘Hero Electric’ with the ‘Ultra Powered’ technology tag.
Ghoshal said, “We spent nine months on backend work and intend to convert 25 per cent of the potential consumers. More players are likely to be in the market. Electrotherm’s YOBykes entered the market 15 months prior to us, but they are primarily seen only in western India. But it would act as a complementary in the category creation. However, although there are many regional players, about 15-16 of them, they cannot afford to lower the price because our volumes are huge.”
The company is seeding the concept right now, and is hence not concentrating on widened distribution. It is currently occupied with creating experience for the consumer, and is focussing on retail, BTL, experiential marketing, and dealer education. Mall shows, school contact programmes along with partnered dealers, and dealer demonstrations form a part of the activities for pushing in the concept. Additionally, newspapers helped launch the brand in the initial phase, while a TVC has been planned, which will be rolled out around Diwali, since there would be better penetration of the Hero Electric by then.
“We are first targeting the retailers for category creation, which will be followed by media buzz for specific communication. Although we would heavily rely on the Internet and kids channels too for promotions, we however don’t want to be classified as a brand for females or for kids alone. Also, we believe that there is a huge potential in companies with large industrial complexes, courier companies and delivery companies, which would help them in keeping their running costs low and improve margins,” added Ghoshal.
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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur
The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more
With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.
The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.
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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out
The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'
Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."
The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."
COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.
Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.
He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.
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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board
e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.
According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.
As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.
A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.
Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.
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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall
The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall
Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.
“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.
“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.
"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."
"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."
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KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias
Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments
KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.
Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy
Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.
Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."
Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."
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