Says Rajiv Dube, general manager (commercial passenger car division), Telco, ``Although our current TVC for the Safari is doing pretty well, we opted for a new 30-second TVC as we wanted to convey our brand message in a different manner. As part of our brand-building exercise, we will be launching the new TVCs for both the Tata Safari and Sierra.'' The earlier Safari TVC bagged a host of awards at annual advertising awards functions.

According to Dube, the positioning of the Safari will remain the same: an all-terrain utility vehicle in the premium segment. ``Through this new commercial, we will reinforce the off-road capabilities of the brand in a dramatic way,'' adds Dube.

Veering from the traditional route, O&M has adopted an unusual approach to drive home the benefits of the Safari in its advertising. For one, the spokesperson is a parrot and you can hear the parrot imitating the sounds of the Safari as the camera takes you right into the heart of a wild jungle. The viewer catches a glimpse of the vehicle only in the last frame of the story board. Hence the tag line: ` Make your own roads with Tata Safari'.

Explains Dube: ``In the new TVC, we have shown how the brand changes the language of the jungle. And the underlying message is--
The parrot could imitate the sounds of the Safari mainly because it has seen and heard the vehicle very often plying on these tough roads. Here lies the USP of our brand: the Safari goes into the terrain, where no other vehicles dare to venture.''

According to Dube, effective advertising helps in creating a strong brand awareness that in return has a favourable impact on the sales figures. ``In the past six months, we have sold over 200 to 250 ranges per month. And our sales target for the current year (April 1999 to April 2000) is 4,000 Safaris,'' hopes Dube.

It was in January 1999 that the company launched the TVC, that is currently being aired on all popular channels. Says Bobby Pawar, creative director, O&M, the ad brief was to add a creative spark to get the consumers charged up about the vehicles. ``So we adopted an ad-strategy that establishes the fact that you do not really need a regular road to drive the Safari,'' adds Pawar.

According to Anil Bhathwal, creative director, O&M, the agency had demonstrated the power of the vehicle even in rough waters in the old TVC. ``And now we have taken it to another platform in a bid to appeal a certain kind of mindset,'' adds Bhathwal.

Tata Sierra repossessed

In a bid to create excitement around the Sierra brand, O&M has come up with a 40-second TVC that reinforces the positioning of the brand: ``It's not owned. It's possessed.'' Created by Bobby Pawar and Anil Bathwal, the commercial shows a proud and possessive owner of the Sierra setting up a special enclosure for his car at a parking lot.

According to Pawar, it was two months ago that the agency revamped its advertising strategy by launching a print campaign for the brand. ``Earlier the tagline was: `Take the rough with the smooth'. Two months ago, we opted for a different image for the car in the luxury car segment,'' adds Bhatwal, referring to a print campaign with a tagline `It's not owned. It's possessed'. According to Telco sources, as the Sierra is a niche product, they hope to sell 1,000 vehicles in the current fiscal.