MUMBAI: Volkswagen India is switching gears on the communications front, awarding its press communication mandate to Ruder Finn India, one of the world’s heavyweight integrated communications and creative agencies.
Effective 1 May, Ruder Finn will roll out a full-throttle strategy covering corporate storytelling, media relations, strategic counsel, and brand campaigns — all aimed at turbocharging Volkswagen’s innovation narrative and sharpening its profile in the fiercely competitive Indian market.
Volkswagen India lead – marketing communications and press Gagan Mangal said the company is revving up its brand positioning for a fast-evolving automotive and media landscape. “We are excited to onboard Ruder Finn as our communications partner. Their strategic thinking, integrated approach, and deep brand storytelling expertise made them the right fit for the road ahead,” he said.
Ruder Finn India CEO and head, Middle East Atul Sharma added: “Winning this mandate reflects our growing strength in integrated communications and corporate positioning. Volkswagen is an iconic brand that has defined the global and Indian automobile industry — we are thrilled to partner with them at such a pivotal moment. Our goal is to create compelling storytelling that mirrors Volkswagen’s legacy and future ambitions.”
As part of the mandate, Ruder Finn will embed itself closely with Volkswagen’s internal communications team, ensuring consistent, insight-led messaging across earned and owned channels.
Mumbai: The new campaign by Volkswagen India explores the chaotic fun of last-minute Diwali preparations.
‘Whatever Diwali Brings You, We Got You’ is a series of four digital films that capture the imperfect yet memorable moments when plans don’t’ turn out the way they are supposed to, during last-minute Diwali preparations and Volkswagen steps in to save the day. Through humorous storytelling, the films highlight how fixing problems is a seamless and enjoyable experience when you are in a Volkswagen, thanks to the brand’s emphasis on safety and fun-to-drive.
The first film, titled ‘A Decoration Situation,’ humorously portrays a family’s attempt to put up Diwali lights, only to realize they’ve picked the wrong size. A last-minute dash to rectify the situation becomes a memorable part of their celebration.
‘Same Pinch,’ the second film, takes us to a party where a girl finds herself in an unexpected outfit clash and goes back to change, only to later find out that someone else brings the same gift as hers.
In ‘Forget-me-nots,’ the third film, a family is on their way to celebrate Diwali, when the couple suddenly recalls that the husband left behind the festive gifts. A swift U-turn in their Volkswagen becomes the solution to this forgetful moment.
The fourth film, ‘Tight Spots,’ starts with a young boy entering the room with ill-fitting pants, leading to a spontaneous trip to buy a new pair.
Each of these scenarios showcase Volkswagen as the solution to the unexpected festive challenges. Departing from traditional product-centric approaches in the auto industry codes of advertising, the new Volkswagen campaign focuses on warm, human-centric stories, emphasizing togetherness during the festive season. The campaign aligns with the new brand positioning of ‘You’re in a Volkswagen’ which built robust emotional equity in the market, underscoring the joy of owning a Volkswagen and how it made owners feel when they drove it.
DDB Mudra Group CCO Rahul Mathew shared, “With ‘You’re in a Volkswagen,’ we aimed to capture the various emotions that we unlock in the lives of our customers. So for Diwali, we decided to look beyond the typical festivities and embrace the significance of little moments.”
Mumbai: Volkswagen India has rolled out its new brand communication ‘You’re in a Volkswagen’ on 23 August 2023, that captures the true emotion of owning a car.
The new brand communication captures a 360° perspective emphasising what it means to drive a Volkswagen. Conceptualised by the DDB Mudra Group, the new consumer-friendly campaign takes a brand-first approach to build a robust emotional equity in the automobile market.
The brand has a strong portfolio of German-engineered cars: Virtus, Taigun & Tiguan. In tandem with the India 2.0 strategy, Volkswagen cars are bigger, bolder & better. Taigun and Virtus have owned the safety narrative on Indian roads – with both scoring the five stars for adult and child occupant safety on the GNCAP safety tests. Armed with this strong portfolio, Volkswagen India is creating a larger network and bringing the Volkswagen experience closer to customers.
In a belief to deliver on the promise constantly, Indiantelevision.com caught up with Volkswagen India’s marketing head Abbey Thomas, who elaborated the campaign in detail and shared interesting insights on their current market share and much more…
Edited excerpts
On the brief overview of this brand campaign
This campaign story that we put together is our overall journey, from the year 2009 and until now, as to what has changed, or the markets have changed, how our communication has changed, how we have reached out to the market, as compared to the earlier years. So if I look at the story from today, it’s about a new journey ahead. So in 2020, we introduced India 2.0 which had the new introduction ‘driving under waters’. There is also a time when we actually change the the brand design, so it went into an India 2.0 brand design. The 2.0 brand design basically gets a lot of vibrancy back and brand. If you look at the touch points across the country, we are network sales touchpoints. As such points are communication, we were much more vibrant, much more younger, much more youthful, with a lot of attitude back into the brand, it is not just an engineering product, it’s not just an engineered product, it’s purely in terms of also getting the lifestyle back into the brand, which was very important for us to establish. What we have done today, from the year 2023 onwards is now take it to the next level, we would retain the vibrancy, we would retain the attitude, but we will make it much more real, you know, we will make our campaigns our communication and messaging much more real, touching the heart lines and the cords of people across the country. And that can be done by building a story around real India. The story is about you and me. It’s not just about celebrities or influencers or anybody else. It’s about us that we bind to our cause and that is what our new journey is all about. When we say you are in the Volkswagen, we are selling you and we are communicating to you what we stand for. We want you to know that when you buy into us, you would be really buying into the values of what we have set ourselves for in the last 15 years or 13 years in this country. These values are pretty strong values that we’ve held on to for many, many years. Be it built quality, be it safety, these elements that we’re very, very proud of. So our engines performed beautifully. Well our engines are resized engines, no longer the huge big engines, but we have nice frugal engines, which really delivers great efficiency.
On the current market share of Volkswagen in India and the increase in car sales post COVID
Overall the industry is doing very well. We have gone back into pre COVID levels, the industry has bounced back, everybody is selling more cars. We are a very small player in this market. We were approximately one per cent of the market share, today we are inching towards a two per cent market share. Hopefully in the coming years, we should be looking at at least three per cent market share to increase the base in our country. So we are not really going there to sell 40 per cent market share or 10 per cent. That’s not the kind of thought that we have. We want to inch closer because we play in a segment that is slightly more on the premium side. It’s slightly about the mass segment and we call us on top of what the mass segment is called as a volume segment and we are slightly placed about the top of volume. That means we built our cars, not to reduce cost, but to ensure highest levels of safety, highest levels of product quality and durability onto your cars, so that you can retain your cars not less than three years, you can retain it for five years and to eight years more and this car will do absolutely well. So it’s also the total cost of ownership of this car over a longer period of time.
On ensuring customer and vehicle safety owing to the tough conditions the monsoon season brings
Our cars are fantastic in terms of safety. Yes, there are brands which has achieved the same, but on the safety ratings as far as the crash test is concerned the GNCAP rating, (which stands for global NCAP rating), we are a five star rated product, both in terms of front occupants and also the rear occupants. So once you have a seatbelt on, you are as safe as you can be ever in an automobile, anywhere in the world. So I think that’s something we are very, very proud about. And we have stories we don’t want to send out sad stories, but we want to send out stories of people who’ve got a second lease of life and put them into our cars. And even if they had an accident, they walked out without a scratch. I think that’s something that we are very proud about.
On consumers excited in buying sedans or small cars
The there was a time when small hatchbacks used to be the story, but yes, today people have graduated more and they have gone into buying bigger cars so A-0 SUV segment and the A-0 sedan segment are really popular and extremely powerful in that space and therefore I believe that these are the two growth segments in this country.
Mumbai: Volkswagen India rolls out its new brand communication ‘You’re in a Volkswagen’ that captures the true emotion of owning a car: ‘For those who are in love with driving, in love with motion’. A Volkswagen isn’t just a car, it’s a people’s car. Our customers vouch for it. “I cannot wait to grab my keys and go for a drive in my Volkswagen. It’s such a no-nonsense car,” said one of the Volkswagen consumers.
Filled with stories that become memories, it absorbs the emotions of all its occupants while being driven and covering a million kilometres across the cities of India. A true driver’s choice that receives an unparalleled experience of uncompromised safety, superior build quality, comfort and a fun-to-drive journey.
The new brand communication captures a 360° perspective emphasizing what it means to drive a Volkswagen. A brand promise that prioritizes a holistic customer experience, right from the offerings to must-have essential product features that service initiatives, make us transparent and valuable. A Volkswagen stands for accessible and premium mobility solutions, a value-for-money proposition to its customers.
Conceptualized by the DDB Mudra Group with media planning by PHD, the new consumer-friendly campaign takes a brand-first approach to build robust emotional equity in the automobile market. You’re in a Volkswagen is inclusive: It’s about people & their families, the human moments that make Volkswagen, a Volkswagen. One must experience it, to understand the beauty of it.
In a belief to deliver on the promise constantly, this is a stride to become more accessible to Indians & celebrate the rich diversity that India entails.
Volkswagen Passenger Cars India brand director Ashish Gupta said, “Our new brand campaign is centred around a simple yet powerful idea – ‘the quintessential moments experienced by our customers in a Volkswagen’. It is a celebration of the passion, exhilaration, freedom and joy that’s experienced from being behind the wheel. The unforgettable journeys and memories that make every drive extraordinary in a Volkswagen. It’s a promise that we as Volkswagen offer our customers, German-engineering, safety and a fun-to-drive experience.”
Volkswagen India Head of Marketing & PR Abbey Thomas said, “The core theme of the campaign revolves around the concept that a Volkswagen is not just a machine to own, but a vehicle designed to be driven and experienced. This includes its commitment to safety, innovation and German engineering, its superior build quality, a suite of world-class services and above all the fun-to-drive experience that is such a characteristic of all Volkswagen-engineered cars. It will urge customers to get behind the wheel of a Volkswagen because when it comes to a Volkswagen, the true experience is when you sit behind the wheels and enjoy the comfort & driving dynamics that’s when you’ll know – You’re in a Volkswagen.”
DDB Mudra Group chief creative officer Rahul Mathew said, “When you make cars for the love of driving and for those in the cars, then you become more than just a car – you become a feeling. And Volkswagen has always embodied this. It was now time for us to come out and say it – You’re in a Volkswagen.”
The hallmark of this campaign lies in its availability in eight local languages which stands as a testament to the brand’s commitment to fostering stronger connections with its customers. This multilingual endeavour ensures that the brand message is not just understood, but also felt on a personal and emotional level, making the campaign a truly immersive experience.
The brand has a strong portfolio of German-engineered cars: Virtus, Taigun & Tiguan. In tandem with the India 2.0 strategy, Volkswagen cars are bigger, bolder & better. Taigun and Virtus have owned the safety narrative on Indian roads – with both scoring five stars for adult and child occupant safety on the GNCAP safety tests. Armed with this strong portfolio, Volkswagen India is creating a larger network and bringing the Volkswagen experience closer to customers.
NEW DELHI: Volkswagen India has elevated Vishal Bhat as the head of after-sales services, effective 1 January 2021. Currently the head of corporate and pre-owned car sales at Volkswagen, Bhat would be taking over the responsibility from P Ravichandran, who is now responsible for dealer development.
With over 17 years of extensive experience in the automotive industry, Bhat brings in diverse expertise to the position. During the last five years, he has undertaken various roles and responsibilities across functions – aftersales, customer care, corporate and Das WeltAuto sales operations, and has been successfully leading them.
Volkswagen Passenger Cars India brand head Ashish Gupta said, “As we plan for our biggest launch of 2021 with the Volkswagen Taigun, our core focus is to ensure enhanced customer experience, value proposition and peace of mind for the customers. With Vishal’s vast experience and understanding of customers, we strongly believe he will bring-in new growth avenues in our service operations.”
MUMBAI: Volkswagen India recently appointed Abbey Thomas as its head of marketing. He will be taking over the responsibilities from Bishwajeet Samal, who will be moving to Germany for an international assignment with Volkswagen AG. Thomas will be reporting to Volkswagen Passenger Cars India director Steffen Knapp.
He comes with an experience of over 25 years in the automotive industry and had previously worked with Audi India as head of planning (product & sales).
Knapp commented, “At Volkswagen, our philosophy is to nurture our in-house talent and create a growth journey for our employees within the Group. We are extremely delighted to have Abbey on-board with us, whose extensive experience will strengthen our brand salience across our stakeholders in the automotive ecosystem."
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MUMBAI: Volkswagen India has roped in Neil Nitin Mukesh as the brand ambassador for its Think Blue initiative.
The Bollywood actor will support the campaign for a year.
Mukesh had first lent his support for Volkswagen at the recent Auto Expo in New Delhi, encouraging people to take their first step towards a greener future by planting saplings at home.
Volkswagen group sales head of marketing and PR Lutz Kothe said, “Neil and we first met in New Delhi during one of our Think Blue initiatives at the Auto Expo and we realised Neil is extremely forthcoming about his support towards such campaigns besides his love for the latest in automotive technologies which was a perfect fit with the Brand‘s philosophy.”
The Think Blue mindset has three main pillars: environmentally friendly solutions and products, individual behaviour and environment-related initiatives that goes beyond products and technologies. Volkswagen intends to adopt Think Blue as a consistent approach that will be reflected in the brand‘s actions and communication, the car major said.
