The Land Rover Experience Edition, known as 'Silk Trail 2013', came to a conclusion in Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra. This event, organised by Tata Motors owned brand Land Rover, has been a huge success, given the kind of media coverage it has got. Silk Trail 2013 was an amazing extravaganza that lasted for a period of 53 days. In this event, a convoy of 18 vehicles travelled a distance of over 16800 km, something that is quite incredible. This extravaganza was aimed at exploring the Silk Route of ancient times and reflect its significance. Also, reports claim that this was a deliberate effort by the iconic British brand to include its owner Tata Motors in the itinerary.
Notably, Silk Trail 2013 saw its commencement at two places, German capital Berlin and Solihull in United Kingdom, which happens to be location for the headquarters of Land Rover. The elusive list of cars, 18 in number, comprised the likes of Land Rover Evoque (11) and Land Rover Hybrid (7). Notably, out of the 7 hybrid models, 3 were prototypes that were going through a test drive. Before entering Indian via Nepal, this convoy of Land Rover vehicles covered regions like Europe, Russia, China, some of the republics of the ex-Soviet Union, Eurasia and Tibet. Despite the amount of fun involved in the entire journey, terrains included in it were quite treacherous in patches, when the convoy went to deserts in Uzbekistan, mountains in Kyrgyzstan and the mighty Himalayan range.
Interestingly, the entire contingent was divided into two teams, namely the German and English. However, members of these teams belonged to around 11 countries. The German team covered the entire journey on 11 Evoques whereas the English drove 3 prototypes and 4 Land Rovers, according to reports. Sources close to this campaign said that participants were really excited throughout the entire extravaganza, which was exhausting and exhilarating at the same time. Some of the top officials from the company were also present during the course of this event. One of these officials was Gabi Whitfield, who is the Global Public Relations Director for the marquee British brand. It was an all expense paid trip for participants, who, according to sources, thoroughly enjoyed Silk Trail 2013. Participant list for the Silk Trail 2013 comprised Dag Rogge (head of the German team and Land Rover Experience Tour), Jessica Schwartz (ambassador for the brand in Germany) and Hans Herman Ruthe, who led the Solihull group.
It is being said that Land Rover concluded this event at the right time as it will get optimum pace for launches of Evoque, which is expected to take place next month in Germany. Notably, Jessica Schwartz, a German actress, joined proceedings in New Delhi and was really happy to be a part of the event. Industry experts feel that this is going to help Land Rover gain a good reputation among car enthusiasts across the globe. Over the past few years, the trend of organising events as a part of marketing has picked up among car makers. In the modern day scenario, marketing and advertising are two important tools, which help brands to connect to consumers on a large scale. Although these activities have been going on for a long time on the international level, the Indian car market has witnessed similar initiatives only in recent years. And when it comes to a country like India, it is really important, experts feel, to connect with customers on a non-commercial level. This is the reason why so many brands in India are now organising weekend drives and races to popularise themselves.
