Suzuki Motorcycles appoints Bollywood actor Salman Khan as their first Brand Ambassador in the Indian market. Suzuki believes that the glamour of this star will prove to be beneficiary for the company, which will result into decent sales. The company witnessed a real success with the launch of its Access 125 automatic scooter, which substantially improved its sales figures
Addressing its association with the company’s first brand ambassador, Atul Gupta, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, SMIPL, said, “We are delighted to have Mr Salman Khan associating with one of the world’s most iconic two-wheeler brands. We believe that Suzuki and Salman together will make an emotional connect with all sections of customers that Suzuki’s range of two-wheelers reaches out to. The association with Salman was driven by the imperative of quickly building a strong connection between the Suzuki two-wheeler brand and the different segments that our expanding range of products is addressing.”
On the other hand, Anu Anamika, National Marketing Head, SMIPL, said, “As we expand our portfolio, it was important to find a human face who can best portray and project our brand and product promise. Mr. Salman Khan is a passionate biker and a discerning brand endorser. His mass appeal, cutting across segments, complements the mass appeal of Suzuki. We also find broad synergy in his social initiatives such as ‘Being Human’ and we will look for opportunities to expand the engagement to meaningful areas. The first Suzuki campaign featuring Salman will be based on the recently launched mass market motorcycle, Hayate and will be breaking shortly.”
Along with this product, the two-wheeler segment of Suzuki remained as an extreme manufacturer in the Indian market. Wit the collaboration in 1980’s, Suzuki entered the Indian auto market. The partnership between the two was fairly successful and lasted for more that 15 years. Thereafter the company decided to carry operations solo, and thus it established Suzuki Motorcycles India. The initial launches of company included Zeus 125 and the Heat 125 commuter motorcycles, which were not able to rule the minds of Indian buyers.
The company then came up with its premium commuter motorcycle, GS150R whose success was followed by the Slingshot 125. Going with bandwagon, Access 125 continued the success and carved a special niche of the band in the Indian auto market. To share the success of Access 125, Suzuki has launched its Swish 125 automatic scooter, which is more appealing version of Access 125 that is targeted to spot the attention of youth group.
Suzuki has now planned to introduce a Hayate 110 commuter motorcycle, which will grab the attention of auto enthusiasts. The launch of 2012 Hayate 110 is scheduled in May and the company believes that it will sell around 10,000 units per month. This bike is focussed to grab the attention of both – urban as well as rural sectors. Appointing Salman Khan as brand ambassador will surely help the company to become visible in the industry.
