Simply Speaking: Brands are born inside

The high mark is that there be no gap between the business reality and the brand perception. Everything communicates. Even the details. Even your physical space is media that communicates. At Tata Motors I have leveraged influencer marketing effectively to drive brand awareness and build consumer trust by inviting the world inside. I defined core brand propositions to build an influencer advocacy program that has reached 50 million viewers in less than a calendar year purely organically.

Through ‘We Make Better’ we showcased the manufacturing and engineering prowess of Tata Motors CV and our focus on quality, safety and innovation. We then built a theme on ‘We Connect Better’ bringing alive a focus on the customers’ purchase journey at dealerships with the intent on delivering the best possible purchase experience. Likewise ‘We Service Better’ on services and ‘We Offer Better’ highlighting the gamut of offerings ranging from app-based offerings like Fleet Edge and e-Dukaan to customer care programs like Sampoorna Seva and Fleet Care.

To kick things off, Tata Motors opened its factory and manufacturing plant gates for the very first time to influencers who were given a first-hand opportunity to experience everything from the manufacturing assembly lines, state-of-the art machinery, engineering research labs and interact with senior management and most importantly feel our timeless Tata heritage and ‘people first’ philosophy.   When Sipsmith leveraged invertising it reflected a sense of craft. It helped to position the brand as something more authentic and artisanal. Opening their doors to people for viewings and tastings has helped to further pull people into the brand, giving them an experience that would be hard to match with traditional advertising methods. Reach is one thing and immersive experience is quite another.

Many companies allow a gap between the brand perception on the outside and the business reality inside. This hypocrisy, no matter how deep it sits in the value chain will be perceptible to consumes in due course. When the brand is not a serious commitment, it shows up. When a brand doesn’t just portray an image but evidently, demonstrably lives and breathes it, that is a foundation for greatness.