India celebrates the launch of the all new Santro in a campaign by Innocean Worldwide + Hyundai

The new launch campaign by Innocean Worldwide showcases why the second coming of Santro gives India reasons to celebrate.

Hyundai has always kept the customer at the centre of their universe by not just making great cars, but also by delivering an experience. In this new and suitably festive campaign, Hyundai Motor India expresses the nation’s joy at the comeback of India’s favourite family car Santro in a new avatar.

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In the run up to the launch of Santro, Hyundai Motor India decided to base its strategic architecture around the nostalgia attached with the first edition of their immensely popular model. The campaign ‘Brilliant Moments with Hyundai’ was launched which elicited great response from people in the form of evocative stories with their Hyundai Cars. The response was overwhelming as many as 60% of anecdotal stories were around Santro.

“The primary strategic motive behind this campaign was to tap into the nostalgia and the goodwill people had for Hyundai especially Santro. It also served to validate certain hypothesis we had about the brand Santro being a symbol of upward mobility, innovative technology & features and a harbinger of celebrations in one’s life,” said Vivek Srivastava, Jt. Managing Director, Innocean Worldwide India.

The deep consumer dive conducted by Innocean’s Account Planners led by Jose John, revealed that in the upcountry markets the aspirations are no less than big cities. The opportunities are no less as an interesting corollary. The family’s provider (mostly male) hence seeks a car that fulfills the needs and dreams of his children, spouse and even the extended family.

The communication journey began on 16th August with the aptly titled ‘Naamkaran’ campaign. Hyundai invited Indian families all over the country to name their new upcoming compact car. An overwhelming 60% of the participants wanted the ‘Santro’ to come back.

So, 20 years after the launch of the original Santro, the name of the new car being the same was announced amidst a lot of excitement. It was followed by a sneak preview of the car with the pre-launch campaign that announced, for the first time in India, online bookings for the car that India wanted.

The big impact campaign that is visible on all prominent channels and dailies alongwith a robust digital presence, exhibits how Santro truly is India’s car. With a whopping 25 new-age features, it’s easy to see why the iconic Tall Boy car is poised to regain its place in the hearts of Indian families. The communication showcases, in a quintessential Indian manner, the welcome of a beloved family member; starting with the auspicious breaking of coconut and inducing festivities wherever the car goes.

The campaign seamlessly integrates the above-par technological advancements in the product even as it exudes warmth in a middle – class family context, for whom the first car is one of the most important decisions they ever make.

“Once we realized how much the Indians loved their Santro, the erstwhile daunting task seemed rather obvious. Launched bang in the midst of festivities & a season of familial warmth, the Santro became the anticipated family member that India was set to welcome with open arms,” said Arjun Modayil, ED, Innocean Worldwide India.

Smriti Chawla, Sr. GM, Client Servicing added, “Having said that, an iconic brand like Santro could not just be evoking fuzzy emotions. All the communication elements state unequivocally and aggressively that the Santro is here to make an impact and cannot be taken lightly. As does the rather long list of segment-firsts it offers, making it a dependable buy for the families.”

Sammy Ghai, Sr. Creative Director, said “Today the people of India share a special kinship with Hyundai because of Santro. It cuts across regions, religions and ethnicities. This gave us the correct bearings for where we really needed to pitch the communication. The TVC is a vibrant mélange of people celebrating the coming of their favorite family car. Its mass musicality and wide canvas make it unique for the brand Santro. No one else can claim the same adulation by a long shot”.       

“The crescendo of celebratory notes the Santro film hits are portrayed through the Indian palette of joyous expressions. It tugs more at the heart in this phase which will lead to an emotive punch in the next one,” stated S M Talha Sr ECD.

Credits –

Client Team: Puneet Anand (Sr. General Manager, Marketing), Bhartendu Singh, Bhaskar Shastri, Shaveta Puri

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