Making the choice

The honeymoon period after buying a new car is glorious. The first two years pass by with no problems, and a warranty to cushion you in case there are any. Once the warranty ends and the freebies disappear, the cracks in the relationship start to show and you become distrustful of the car manufacturer and its promises of great service throughout.

Picking up on that idea, multi-brand car servicing company, Mahindra First Choice Services has decided to promote its services through its first TVC that started airing on January 26 this year. Lasting a month, this campaign has been conceptualized by Lonely Cloud Consulting. Rajan Narayan, founder, says, “Car servicing, as a category, has never been advertised. So, for us, we had to deal with concept creation to begin with. Our research showed that users start getting weary of car manufacturers’ service after the warranty wears out. In such a scenario, the aim was to establish the honesty that the brand claims to provide as well.”  

Alok Kapoor, head, marketing and franchise development, Mahindra First Choice Services says, “Abroad, there are three types of players in the car servicing industry – dealers, independent garages and multi-brand servicing companies and their market share remains more or less equal. In India, however, due to the lack of variety, the campaign is aimed at educating the consumer. Since we have never had a campaign before, this was a way of letting potential customers know we’re here for them.” Aiming at older car owners whose cars are older than two years or have run out of the warranty period, Mahindra First Choice has found a pain point that many Indian car owners are feeling regularly. It will be interesting to see the turns the market and the brand take after this initiative.