CHENNAI: Datsun, the Japanese auto brand, is focusing on accessibility to attract a target audience of younger consumers in lower tier cities across India as it aims to take a 5% share of the market.

“When I say accessible, I do not mean cheap,” Jerome Saigot of Nissan Motor India, told the Financial Express, explaining that affordability is only one of several factors, including after-care and physical availability, embraced by the concept.

“We also mean easy to service,” he explained, as new buyers can sign up to a comprehensive package covering the first three years of ownership. “We do not want our tier II and III customers to worry about anything,” Saigot said.

Beyond such practical considerations for owners the brand is expanding its presence in these cities, from 150 by the end of this financial year to up to 250. “This will help bring the brand closer to our customers and easy to finance.”

Those customers are 25-35 year-olds who don’t want to spend more than Rs 4-5 lakh on a car. Datsun has designed its models to appeal to them, with India-friendly features such as cabin space and ground clearance, and uses a mix of television, digital and experiential to reach them.

While up to a quarter of the marketing budget goes on digital, experiential has also proved important for a three-year old brand in the Indian market needing to both increase brand awareness and deepen relationships with existing consumers if it is to achieve its goal of a 5% market share by 2020-21.

For example, specially-designed vans have visited tier II and III locations across the country to throughout India to engage with people and inform them about the brand.

“The Datsun Experience Zone initiative has enabled us to go directly to customers in places where we are not physically present with our dealerships,” Saigot noted.

Luxury auto brands have also experimented with these tactics, including mobile showrooms and pop-up stores, as they seek to reach potential buyers in cities where they don’t have a showroom.

Sourced from Financial Express; additional content by WARC staff