Now Yamaha Sport bikes at rush hour

Yamaha’s Stop Commuting. Start Sport Biking campaign looks at engaging the biking enthusiast and promises a near Grand Prix experience

Yamaha has finally woken up to the biking enthusiasts in India, much after other motorbike manufacturers have addressed this segment. Its latest campaign looks at engaging the biking enthusiast. Accordingly, the Stop Commuting. Start Sport Biking campaign promises to give the rider a near Grand Prix experience.

The model in the TV commercial is just getting out of office and walking towards his Yamaha Gladiator Type SS/Type RS bike, when his mind takes over. He imagines himself advancing towards his machine at a motorbike Grand Prix. He mounts the bike and is soon zipping past the crowds. He swerves and steers smoothly to avoid the other racers (read commuters). He comes to a sharp stop when a lady walks by on the road, only to go full throttle after she has passed by. The creative agency responsible is Dentsu Communications. The film, which involved visual effects, was shot by Green Apple.

A shot from the TVC

Though Yamaha is well up in the biking circuit – Valentino Rossi, the world No. 3, is a Yamaha rider – it hadn’t introduced this feature to its consumers until now. “With the Gladiator 125cc range, we want to provide the experience of sport biking,” says Sunil Vij, head, marketing and communication, Yamaha. The Gladiator 125cc isn’t a race bike, but with the Yamaha DNA inherent in it, it provides for the biking experience that a sport biker enjoys.

The Bajaj Pulsar, though not part of the professional biking scene, has been propagating sport biking for a while now. The Free Biking campaign and the more recent Pulsar Mania campaign have both been about biking thrills. When asked why Yamaha wanted to enter the biking scene in its communication at such a late stage, Ruchira Raina, executive director, Dentsu Communications, says, “Pulsar Mania is more of a gimmick, almost like a circus.”

Clarifying her statement, Raina says, “Almost every scene of the Pulsar Mania ad tells you that the stunts cannot be performed by non-professionals.”

“The Gladiator offers precise braking, angling and cornering. It isn’t a stunt bike, but a bike for riders,” he adds.

The Yamaha commercial depicts the rider (a professional biker) zipping through rush hour traffic. At a time when bikes have become more of utility vehicles and lost their sport biking charm, the Yamaha Gladiator intends to resuscitate the sport biking aspect once again.

The communication is supported by print ads and outdoor. Test ride events have been carried out across the country.

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