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Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Case Study (Nano, Tata’s ‘People’s Car’: Who is Marketing?)


Never before in the history had, a new product in the automobile industry created such a huge buzz after Ford's famous Model ‘T’. Ever since Ratan Tata announced that he would make a ‘People’s car’ for a price less than USD $2,500, in 2003 Geneva Auto show, it mystified various groups of people about the possibility of price, power, quality, performance and other factors. However, Ratan Tata was never to be bogged down with by apprehensions and or naysayers. During 2008, Nano was all over the press for the wrong reasons (and that probably would have been a blessing in disguise for Nano’s buzz) and all the critics wereare silenced for ever when the car was launched on March 23rd 2009 with various public and private sector banks offering loans to customers. Nano and Ratan Tata became almost synonymous providing India Inc. in general and Tata Group in particular a global corporate canvass. It definitely was the most awaited car in the world in the last several decades. Timing was just perfect to suit the recessionary pressures.
This reduced the need for advertising and provided an unpaid coverage, worth about INR 100 crore, during on the launch day worth about INR 100 crore. It is perhaps the first time in the history that an automobile pre-launch is enjoying such a bare minimum promotional expenditure. One wonders whether a similar idea or a project ventured by a person lacking the business credentials that Nano is enjoying, can create a similar buzz. The case ponders in over analysing who and what is behind the buzz marketing of Tata Nano?
QUESTIONS:-
1.      Explain the various factors which defines Nano as a suitable car for the Indian market?
2.      Do the SWOT Analysis of the case study?