★ Salman Khan Turns Around Suzuki’s Fortunes as Brand Ambassador !

Aug 29, 2013



Today’s advertising world seems to be very dependent on celebrity endorsements, especially from Bollywood actors. Both new and seasoned actors are becoming the faces of several brands. Companies are leaving no stone unturned in their efforts to get a celebrity, whose popularity is at its peak, to endorse their products or services. The “bad boy” of Bollywood and our very own “Dabangg Khan” tops the list of celebrities for endorsing brands.

Khan himself is a brand who can lure a huge crowd with his exciting personality. This superstar, with his stardom and popularity, has been the prime choice for brand ambassador for many companies. The superstar, who started the trend of going shirtless, has been an inspiration to a large segment of the Bollywood audience.

For his huge influence on people, Suzuki Motorcycle India Private Limited roped him in as its first-ever brand ambassador in India. Suzuki Motorcycles, with an aim to increase its sales in the country, signed up Khan for endorsing Hayate, a mass commuter bike. Powered by a 112.8cc engine, Hayate was launched at the Auto Expo 2012. With this two-wheeler, the makers could now target the semi-urban and rural commuters of the nation.

The manufacturer intends to connect with and reach out to all sections of customers while promoting their range of products. They believe Khan is the right choice as a brand ambassador as he has mass appeal, and building connections with various market segments would be easier with his association. Strong brand loyalty in this segment is one of the biggest challenges for the makers of this motorbike. Khan happens to fit into the brand’s promotion plans perfectly. The celebrity himself is a passionate biker, who with his mass appeal, portrays and projects the brand as well as the product in the best possible way.

This Japanese two-wheeler company has witnessed a growth in its sales after the launch of Suzuki Hayate. Initially, the product was seen as a letdown from the company and did not impress the target market, but gradually, the sales figures began to rise. The company expects the sales figure of the product to be around 38,000 units. The maker has received a good response from the market, including people from all walks of life, for this commuter bike. It is largely used by an increasing number of professionals in India.

With Hayate, Suzuki Motor Corporation takes on the bestsellers of other manufacturers like Hero Splendor, Bajaj Discover and TVS Star City. The overall sales figures of these models are impressive, with Bajaj Discover selling around 592,658 units and TVS Star City around 332,408 units in the first two months of 2013, while Hero sold around 1,059,068 units during the same time. Suzuki also plans to enhance the distribution network and aims to increase its production capacity from the current 3.6 lakh units to 5.4 lakh units by the end of 2013.



Besdies the two-wheeler segment, even mobile brands are reaching out to the actor for gadget endorsements. Blackberry, which is among the leading developers of smartphones and tablets, chose Khan for the launch of its new tablet, Blackberry PlayBook. This gadget comes in three variants — 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB, featuring Wi-Fi support and all other high-end features. The PlayBook is distributed through Redington India in around 1,000 retail stores across eight cities in the country. Khan also endorses many other products like Thums Up, Yatra.com, Relaxo Hawaii, Wheel, Britannia’s Tiger Biscuits, Rotomac Pen, Ranbaxy’s Revital and SF Sonic Batteries

Source : PriceDekho

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