50 Cc of Marketing Dynamite

It was the late eighties and Bajaj held a vice-like grip on the scooters market – at 75% market share, there wasn’t even a second place worth the mention. Having achieved everything there was to achieve in scooters, the company sought a new challenge.

The moped segment seemed the obvious way to go. It presented an extension of what Bajaj excelled at anyway. If anything, it was the poor man’s scooter – should have been a cinch for the mighty Bajaj to succeed.

Not really true! The category was a clear two-horse race and little else. Kinetic and TVS were completely dominant, leaving very little wriggle room for anybody else – least of all a new entrant. It was a mountain to climb, but Bajaj being what they are, decided to go for it anyway.

Turning Challenge into Opportunity

The company dissected the situation analytically. Mopeds were a utility vehicle – not built for comfort, definitely not built for status. It more represented a motorized cycle; it even had to be pedaled to start. And like the humble bicycle, it wasn’t made to handle heavy loads or huge distances. Its seat was high, narrow and awkward. An odd-looking and downmarket vehicle when stationary, a laggard when in motion. Sure it delivered excellent mileage. But, all considered, it was only about getting from Point A to Point B, in a totally no-frills manner.

Nobody in their right mind was ‘proud’ to own a moped. You bought one purely for the utility, convenience and economy it offered.

Funnily, it was the very negatives that gave Bajaj their starting point – a foothold in their strategy build. Why not build a good-looking, value-added moped that people would like to be seen with. A vehicle that delivered all the utility features of a moped, but couched in the smarter body of a scooter. A revamp and upgrade from the fuddy-duddy, boring trundler to a smart vehicle that still delivered excellent mileage, without gears, while being low on maintenance.

Best of Both Worlds

Bajaj’s engineers rolled up their sleeves and set to work. A few months later they had built the perfect prototype. It was neither a scooter nor a moped – a happy hybrid sitting somewhere in between. It delivered excellent mileage – somewhere in between that of the two big players; it was still light like a moped, had no gears or battery, hence low on maintenance and recurring expenses.

Moped-like in the utility features, but with a scooter-like elegance… it had a footboard, handsome panels, lower and more comfortable seats, a spare wheel, and even a kick start – no more pedaling away like a lowly bicycle. The traditional moped headlamp that stuck out in an unwieldly manner, was now ergonomically recessed into the main body. It fit the budget too nicely – again, priced in between Kinetic and TVS.   

Unexpected Bonus

Best of all, there was the bonus of something they hadn’t even planned for. An act of legislation introduced the ‘junior license’. 16- to 18-year-olds could now actually own and ride a motorized vehicle, so long as it satisfied the 50 cc and under criteria – which Bajaj’s new product did.

In one stroke, this new development opened up a whole new audience. And with Bajaj’s thoughtful looks and features, it had the potential of being the vehicle that every 16-plus teenager aspired to own, being the only one they legally could.

The search for a suitable name was now on in real earnest – and the positioning and advertising campaign to go with it. Every other name, in a long list, was rejected and Sunny chosen. Strategically, an excellent choice. Bright, cute, cheery, young. Very friendly. Besides, it was a popular nickname that was as local as it was global. And it rolled easily off the tongue for any linguistic or regional demographic.

Creating a New Category

To begin with, the ad campaign proclaimed it as the ‘50 cc revolution’. The messaging was simple and direct – no overwhelming the consumer with a feature overload. Visual-wise, the product-hero imagery did the job along with the 50 cc promise. Here was a moped that had every important moped-feature, cost as much as a moped, but wasn’t a moped. It had an image and status – something to be proud of. It created a category of its own: Scooterette!

Gradually the advertising shifted towards more evolved platforms, like ‘my first bike/love’, ‘so easy to ride it’s like falling in love’ and later ‘the simple riding machine’ – all stanced at the first-time rider/buyer.

Somewhere early in that blitz, Sachin Tendulkar was brought in – then at the start of his glorious career, he was the perfect role model to promote this idea. Teenagers and young adults idolized him, parents hoped their wards would become like him. Tendulkar was young, successful, trendy and yet level-headed and responsible. The perfect match.

The advertising endeared itself not only to starry-eyed teenagers, but to women, the older set, and middle-income groups as well. It all added up to significant numbers for Bajaj Sunny in the marketplace. It had everything going for it – utility, convenience, economy, image.

Bajaj Sunny is the perfect case study where everything aligned… product, strategy, advertising delivery, and most importantly, timing! Keep watching this space for more such legacy stories from the world of marketing and advertising.