Mahindra Tractors rocks the farmland of UP

With an aim to reach out to progressive farmers and increase the recall of its brand this monsoon, Mahindra Tractors has rolled out an on ground initiative in Uttar Pradesh. The property aims to focus on the good mileage proposition of the brand and therefore, it has been named 'Mahindra Tractors Mileage se Music tak'.

Big Live, the activation arm of Reliance Broadcast (formerly called Reliance Media World), is conducting the on ground activities for Mahindra Tractors.

"Mahindra has engines called 'Mileage ka Master', which give a better mileage and that is the concept we are promoting through the campaign," says Vineet Mittal, business head, Big Live Rural, in a conversation with afaqs!. Through this activity, the company is trying to reach the new generation of progressive farmers and dealers.

For the on ground activity, Big Live has created a mobile studio mounted on a trolley, which is pulled by a Mahindra tractor. The agency is hosting interactive events on this trolley, which include taking the tractor to high footfall areas, gathering the farmers to get a first-hand experience of the product and interact with them about their culture, food, technological advancements and much more.

"Most activities are done on canters but here we already had a vehicle, which we used innovatively to reach our customers and create visibility for the brand," says Mittal.

Alongside these interactions, the villagers can also request for a song on the radio channel Big FM, also a property of Reliance Broadcast.

These moments are then captured and converted into a weekend programme, where these recordings are aired. Based on the name of the activity, the on air property of Big FM is also called Mahindra Tractors Mileage se Music tak. The one hour programme is aired on Saturdays and Sundays during 6-7 pm across all stations of Big FM in Uttar Pradesh.

The campaign is being carried out in villages and across six high farmer density cities of Uttar Pradesh, including Allahabad, Aligarh, Bareilly, Agra, Kanpur and Jhansi. It will cover about 2-3 villages per day in a period of 45 days, thereby reaching approximately 100-125 villages around these six cities, which is further being amplified by the on air programme.

The whole idea behind the activity is to bring to life 'A day in the life of a rural person' and bringing it live on radio.

Speaking about how the activity will establish the brand amongst the target audience, Sanjeev Goyle, senior vice-president, marketing and AppliTrac farm equipment sector, M&M, says, "Since the studio is being pulled by Mahindra tractors, that creates the excitement and interactivity with the brand and also gives us visibility in the area. Also, since the brand is creating the platform for the customers who otherwise would not get a chance to interact and be heard on radio, it helps us create goodwill and bonding amongst the farmers."

He adds that the campaign name can be directly associated Mahindra and Mahindra and it further reinforces the brand's property that Mahindra tractors are fuel efficient through 'Mileage ka Master'.

According to the data provided by market research firm IMRB International, as per the Ministry of Agriculture, the number of tractor units sold in India in 2008-09 was 3,42,836, of which 2,39,784 units were sold during April-November 2009. Since 2001, the segment has experienced a growth rate in the range of 7.5-8 per cent.

The top five tractor brands in Uttar Pradesh are Mahindra & Mahindra, Escorts, TAFE, Sonalika, John Deere and New Holland.

Not surprisingly, Goyle adds that the UP market is important for the brand and ranks 'right up there'. With a market size of about 65,000 units in UP, Mahindra Tractors garners a share of 25 per cent.

Traditionally, this season is also a big accelerator towards the growth of the segment, which is followed by the festival season during August-October.

The company recently carried out an aerial activity in Punjab to promote its newly launched tractor, Arjun Ultra-1 DLX.