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Percept wins new Hero Honda bike account
Hero Honda has awarded its soon-to-be-launched mid-segment bike account to Percept Advertising
Ritujoy Chakraborty
agencyfaqs!
NEW DELHI, 22 December
Hero Honda has awarded the account of its soon-to-be-launched mid-segment bike to Percept Advertising, Delhi. The account was won in a two-way pitch between Percept and HTA. Currently, Percept handles the corporate account (of Desh ki Dhadkan fame), while HTA handles Hero Honda's Splendor and CBZ accounts. After the loss of the corporate account, this is the second setback for HTA, considering that it has been handling the Hero Honda account for about a decade now.
Speaking on the condition of strict confidentiality, a high-ranking company source revealed to agencyfaqs! the following information - the yet-to-be named bike will be launched on January 10, 2001 in New Delhi. It will be based on the Splendor platform and will be priced just below Rs 50,000 (ex-showroom Delhi). This translates to a 10 to 11 per cent higher sticker price than the Splendor, across the country. This new addition to Hero Honda's stable is expected to bridge the wide gap in its product-portfolio, which at one end, has the Splendor at around Rs 45,000, and at the other, the CBZ at around Rs 65,000. Just like the Splendor, the new bike will have a 100-cc engine, but the power output will be higher at around 8 bhp. On the question of safety, the bike will share the CBZ's fat rear tyre, adding to stability and control. The general styling is expected to be similar to the newly introduced LML Adreno.
The print campaign for the new product is expected to break out a week after the launch, followed by the TVC. The focus of the campaign will be the combination of economy with style.
Hero Honda commands a leading 47 per cent market share in the motorcycle segment, the fastest growing segment among two-wheelers. In fact, its hugely popular Splendor is now the largest selling two-wheeler in the world. However, in recent times, Bajaj Auto's Caliber has been challenging Splendor's leadership, and more so since the introduction of the new souped-up version. Bajaj Auto continues to be the largest two-wheeler manufacturer - when you throw in all two wheeler types - in the country, rolling out 87,000 vehicles per month, closely followed by Hero Honda's 86,000 per month.
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