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Ushak Kaal wins Hindustan Motors' RTV, Trekker accounts

Ushak Kaal has bagged the Rs 4-crore account of Hindustan Motors’ RTV and Trekker brands, following a pitch involving Equus and Joint & Arms Communication


agencyfaqs!

NEW DELHI

Delhi-based Ushak Kaal Advertising has added a billing of Rs 4 crore, following the gains of Hindustan Motors' (HM) RTV and Trekker accounts. The RTV (Road Trusted Vehicle, earlier termed Rural Transport Vehicle) and Trekker accounts came the agency's way after a four-way pitch that reportedly involved Equus Advertising and ex-incumbent Joint & Arms Communication. The identity of fourth agency in the fray is not clear. (Subsequently, Equus has strongly denied participating in the pitch.)

Ushak Kaal claims that it was confident of getting the business because of the kind of presentation it made. "We made a video presentation that was both strategic and credential-based," says Sanjay Sarma, director, Ushak Kaal Advertising. "We videotaped the responses of around 60-70 people (potential RTV users), based on the factors that influenced their purchase decisions. The key insights that were brought to light were factors such as entry price, low maintenance cost, fuel efficiency, brand name and easy availability of spare parts. And these are essentially the benefits that we are talking about through our campaign."

Of the two, it is the RTV account that is likely to see more action. Launched only last year, the RTV is seen by HM as the ticket to the "turnaround factor" in its otherwise sinking business. Of course, Trekker will get its due attention too, positioned as it is as a multi-utility transport vehicle (MUV) for rural India.

The problem with the Trekker and the RTV brands is that both suffer from low brand recall - especially the Trekker, which has been around for more than 12 years now. But for Ushak Kaal, the immediate task is to create an active market for the RTV in the states of Delhi, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Bengal, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. The RTV, which competes with the offerings of Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata (in the light commercial vehicle segment), is positioned on the plank of ‘customization as per the consumers requirement'.

Explaining this, Sarma says, "The USP of the RTV is flexibility. We are trying to put this across by saying that the body of the vehicle can be modified by as per the need of the customer. It can be changed to suit the requirements of a passenger carrier, goods transport, school bus and ambulance. The bottomline is to communicate that the RTV is an optimum return on investment." According to the agency, the print-centric campaign for the RTV will break in about four-five months' time, coinciding with the vehicle's planned launch in Mumbai, Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana and Karnataka.

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