Abstract

This caselet discusses the Indian automobile major Maruti Suzuki India Limited’s advertisement strategy with specific reference to its ‘Kitna deti hai?’ set of television commercials. The emphasis of these commercials was on conveying the fuel efficiency advantage of MSIL’s cars to potential customers. The company believed that its ads were in tune with the Indian customers’ expectations and some analysts too agreed, saying that the campaign cemented MSIL’s position as the undisputed leader in fuel efficiency. Others questioned the campaign’s ability to add value to MSIL’s brand equity in the long run, saying that the ads reinforced the image of MSIL as a maker of cars for the common man and hence would hamper MSIL’s chances in segments that offered higher margins.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Advertising
• Branding
• Customer value proposition
• Marketing communication

Keywords

Maruti Suzuki, Joint Venture, Suzuki Motor Corporation, Advertisement Campaign, Cost of Ownership, Brand Equity, Commoditization, branding