On the face of it, Bajaj Auto’s decision to drop the family name from its products, showrooms and service centres is based on the hope it will present opportunities for a new marketing direction and a new customer perception. Here Shripad Nadkarni, founder director, MarketGate Consulting, and Anand Halve, founder, Chlorophyll Brand & Communication Consultancy, discuss the pros and cons of the move.
The Pulse of Bajaj
Shripad Nadkarni,
Founder Director, MarketGate Consulting
When the future of your brand runs the risk of being shaped by unconnected acts of others, it’s time to take charge of your destiny. This is exactly what has happened with Bajaj Auto. Brand Bajaj is too thinly scattered over categories as diverse as two wheelers, electrical appliances, financial services and ayurvedic products, among others. Which, by itself, is fine if there is a strong, unified hand guiding, shaping and refreshing the brand. This being clearly not the case, Rajiv Bajaj’s decision to rebrand Bajaj is not only understandable but timely.
The second reason supporting the change in brand identity is the existence of two distinct consumer mindsets in the two-wheeler market. You could articulate the needs of the Discover consumer as economy, mileage, resale realisation and easy maintenance — the perfect ‘family’ bike. Contrast this with the sporty, edgy, performance-driven lifestyle offering — Pulsar. Try putting these under a unified brand and you end up with a diluted, one-size-fits-all kind of positioning. To truly realise the full potential of these diverse segments, which, in effect, represent different worldviews, you need brands with compelling propositions that reflect a deep understanding of the unique drivers of choice. Clustering current and future offerings under Discover and Pulsar (and perhaps a third brand if an emerging segment warrants) allows for creation of sharp equity clusters with minimal overlap.
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