Maruti Suzuki bets big on print

The company has leveraged this medium often, be it during the launch of its Baleno and S-Cross vehicles, or Nexa, the showroom that showcases them.

Automobile company Maruti Suzuki is betting big on print, this festive season. The company has regularly advertised in English daily newspapers for its newly-launched mid-high range cars S-Cross and Baleno. The company had also used print heavily when it recently launched its premium range of showrooms, Nexa.

It began with the launch of S-Cross, for which, the brand created an exclusive innovation for Maruti Suzuki where the day's newspaper was wrapped in a four-page glossy paper. Print innovation was continued for its Baleno brand, with the campaign opening with a glossy jacket. The ads were featured in The Hindustan Times daily. The media agency for the campaign is Initiative and the creatives were handled by Hakuhodo Percept.

Commenting on the innovations, Elvis Sequeira, chief operating officer, Hakuhodo Percept, says, "Our teams spent nights working together, pushing for the perfect execution, finding ways to surpass the client's (and our) expectations. The impact has been terrific, and has contributed in no small measure to the exciting premium imagery we are building for the brands we handle for Maruti Suzuki."

R Venkatasubramanian, senior vice-president, Initative, says, "Such unique innovations in print prove that campaign planning is not just about the medium but how we leverage it. And, the buzz created by this latest innovation goes to show that the power of print is still alive and kicking. Newspapers just need to think of out-of-the-box ideas and innovate to stay relevant."